Cruciatus
by audiodream
Summary: Five years after Chosen, S7 finale, Faith had been excluded from the gang after the take down of the first, but now she shows up just as an evil god from a hell dimenision does wanting to take over the world, will she and the others be able to stop him?FB
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer for whole story: I do not own anything to do with BtVS, not the characters nothing, zilch. So there, this is just a fanfiction. And ain't it obvious I don't own BtVS, otherwise why the hell would the show not still be on. I mean come ON! ok so officially rambling but anyway…**

**Summary: Set after Chosen, S7 finale. Faith was left out of all the plans and everyone moved on with their lives, many wondered what she did after battling the first but none knew, there were rumours but never true sightings of the dark slayer. Now 5 years later she turns up and with a new big bad God from a hell dimension threatening to take over the world it is just as well. Can the past be kept in the past to ensure there is a future?**

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**Cruciatus **

By Audiodream

**Prologue**

'_I remember standing there thinking Sunnydale was gone, wiped out and that maybe with it my chance at redemption. All paths led there, just like the broken road I was stood on right now. Had the Scoobies forgiven me? Even if they had would I forgive myself? That was a question burning hard on my soul, am I able to forgive myself for what I did to them? To Alan Finch? Even if it had been an accident I had still killed a man and then gone psycho, would they ever trust me again?_

_I remember hoping with all my heart that I had done my bit and that all was forgiven, that I had found redemption. But deep in my heart I knew I hadn't and that I might never but I had to try. Not because I wanted to be forgiven for all my sins and go to heaven blah blah blah, sure I like to think there is something after this but we didn't know so I wasn't gonna think about it. All I cared about was getting forgiveness from the scoobies and mostly from myself. If they hated me and never forgave me I could promise them I felt the same way about myself just ten times stronger. _

_I remember telling myself to buck up, look around you just kicked ass. B just kicked ass. You all just kicked ass, we should be celebrating. I looked in awe at the B, she stood there totally at peace with the world. Happy, liberated as if she was finally free from the curse of being the only slayer, forced to live a lonely and dangerous life. She could finally get a life. _

_I remember feeling happy for her and wondering if maybe I could get my own life, one without all the slaying and violence. Of course I am still Faith Lehane, slayer, I would still patrol and kick ass just not on an apocalyptic scale. Kick back a bit. Ya know? But I should have known that that wasn't going to happen._

_I remember when we arrived at the hospital and the injured went to get checked out, I stayed next to Wood all the way until he grew too unstable and was taken quickly to surgery. I stood in the hallway motionless waiting and waiting until I heard the nurse slowly walk towards me, the pace of her walk, the rhythm of her heart, the uneasiness in her movements, she was here to tell someone that someone they cared about hadn't made it. I remember fighting back tears, swallowing the lump that had formed and searching the hall in search for anyone else that she could be here to see. No one. I was stood there alone, story of my life, she told me. He had had massive internal bleeding and despite their best efforts had died. I nodded telling her I understood and I sat there, in the lonely hallway for hours, until I finally let everything out. I cried and cried into my hands. Everything had just built up, me trusting someone had been a first and then he went and died on me. That was just a really_ REALLY_ cruel trick._

_I remember the following week being a bit of a blur as potentials went home for six months until training started from the schools that Giles was going to set up. People staying in small groups and keeping to themselves, making plans. Plans I was excluded from. No one looked my way, wondered how i was holding up, wondered what MY plans were. Then suddenly the numbers staying in the old AI offices dwindled until I was the only one left. Everyone had moved on with their lives and left me out, left me behind._

_I remember as I finally made the decision to pack a bag and head into the sunset to see where my quest for redemption left me I was approached by a man. He was tall, skinny, and old. He had greying brown hair and deep cast features. I remember as he introduced himself to me as the gate keeper, not man nor demon just the gate keeper. He told me all about the plans for the upcoming years, how things were gonna change how hard the scoobies would have it. He gave me a choice to help. And I took it. If only I knew it would take so much out of me, maybe I wouldn't have done it. Then again, maybe I would have. _

_I remembered all this in the mere thirty seconds I had to spare as I frantically started to mutter the words to the almost forgot spell that would bring me back to he real world, to civilisation. I managed quickly to make sure I had the runes right before closing the circle and begin the painful extracting from the place I had called home for the past five years since the fall of Sunnydale. I still couldn't believe I had been there for five years, five whole years since she last saw the scoobies, Giles and B. Five fucking years.' _

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**TBC…**

**REVIEW, tell me what you thought, do you think this story has the potential to be good? Like is said tell me what you thought. **


	2. 1

**Disclaimer for whole story: I do not own anything to do with BtVS, not the characters nothing, zilch. So there, this is just a fanfiction. And ain't it obvious I don't own BtVS, otherwise why the hell would the show not still be on. I mean come ON! Ok so officially rambling but anyway…**

**Summary: Set after Chosen, S7 finale. Faith was left out of all the plans and everyone moved on with their lives, many wondered what she did after battling the first but none knew, there were rumours but never true sightings of the dark slayer. Now 5 years later she turns up and with a new big bad God from a hell dimension threatening to take over the world it is just as well. Can the past be kept in the past to ensure there is a future?**

**O, pairings? Who should Faith end up with? **

**Buffy?**

**Angel?**

**Or someone completely new? **

**VOTE!**

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**Cruciatus**

**By Audiodream**

**1. Welcome Back To Reality**

BUFFY:

Ever since that life changing moment she had been putting all her life and soul into the San Francisco Potentials' Academy. Giles, Herself, Willow and Kennedy ran the academy and there were seven other all around the world: Two in Europe, Three in America, One in Africa, and One in Asia. All together there were just over a hundred slayers in training, some of the potentials that weren't yet in training had chosen not to or were going to start a little later on in life. Either way there were a lot more than just one slayer in the world to face the evils that come out to play after sunset.

San Francisco itself was sat over a newly activated hellmouth and there was a lot of activity to keep them busy and help show the SITs how to deal with it all. Every potential's academy sat over a hellmouth, so it could easily be guarded. It helped a lot. It seemed after they had shut down the Sunnydale hellmouth permanently all the others, all seven of them, became activated. It seemed somehow to keep the balance there had to be more hellmouth's to keep all the slayers busy. It sucked, if you asked her.

Another thing that she hated was that people, the SITs looked up to her. They saw her as the hero in the battle against the first. She hated that, there were a lot more than just one slayer there. There were Willow, Kennedy, the other potentials…and Faith. The 'Dark' slayer.

Leaving Faith behind in Los Angeles after the battle was something she regretted the most. She was a sister slayer, they shouldn't have excluded her like that. She could have come with herself, Giles, Willow and Kennedy and started up the S.F.P Academy. Could have helped out with the more 'rebellious' girls. Ever since that day almost five years ago when the left for San Francisco where Giles had heard a watcher was hiding Buffy and the others had wondered what had happened to Faith, she had even asked Angel but he had said one day she just upped and left and no one has heard of her since. Well three years ago there was a rumour that a gang of vamps had been taken out in Boston by a dark haired slayer. But Angel had tried to follow it up but it came to nothing.

Now Angel lived and worked with them at the S.F.P Academy. He had good contacts and it was good having him around. He taught the girls Tai Chi some nights, they all liked him. He had been affected when the rumours of Faith's whereabouts started being heard by the girls through their patrols from the vamps and demons. Hushed whispers and taunts of where they had last heard the rogue slayer was, he saw Faith as a close friend and she had saved his life so in his books the least he could do was find her. But he never did, no one did.

The dark slayer, the rogue slayer always the mystery, even to this very day remained a mystery.

Her line of thought was interrupted when the bell rang signalling lunch time for the girls. Last year they had to install a bell in case of fires and also one of the watchers that taught the girls, William Fletcher, fell asleep constantly forgetting to dismiss his classes.

She dismissed the girls from the outside gym and strolled over to her bag collecting her stuff and started to her office which was in the main building, not noticing the weird shimmering the had started to occur in the middle of the mats that had been set out for classes.

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FAITH:

She felt the immense pain rip through her like she had been stabbed repeatedly with a burning hot switchblade; she bit her lip to stop the cries trying to escape. Instead sounding as a deep painful moan as she tried to blink back the tears. Then as quick as the pain had started it had gone. She found her self stuck in midair for a second before being dropped painfully onto the ground.

She landed on something warm that had a rubber feel to it. She had landed on her front and groaned a little as she turned over onto her back. Using her arm, the right one, the one that hadn't been dislocated at the shoulder to block the sun rays from her eyes. She grunted as she started sitting up and looking around.

She seemed to be sat on a mat, a blue training mat and there were ten more dotted around her. The mats were located on a large lawn surrounded by beautiful coloured flowers. Beyond the flower beds was a tall red brick wall to stop prying eyes Faith presumed. To her left was a pool house, and just beyond that another building. Just behind her was a tall building that looked rather old and seemed to be the main building. In total there was a main building, two out buildings and a pool house. Surrounding the buildings were beautiful flowers and lawns.

Faith frowned, thinking. '_Where the hell am I?' _

Before moving she started assessing her injuries, she had the dislocated shoulder, three or four broken ribs, sprained ankle and many cuts and bruises all over. But the worst, the far worst that was causing her the most problems was the large stab wound in her right side, it had been from a demon she had been fighting with last just before making it to the portal that brought her to…god knows where. A demon snuck up behind her just as she was trying to remember the spell to activate the portal and used a sword to stab her. It had hurt like hell at first and bled a lot too but she knew she had to kill it. She did and then in a lot of pain she muttered the almost forgotten words that led her here. It was still bleeding but she needed to move or else she was sure she would bleed out her. She needed help, and for the first time in her life she was the first to admit it.

XXX

The inside of the house was clean, bright and looked very much like a school. The first room she stepped into looked like a lobby; there was a big oak desk on the right wall. There was a staircase that headed upstairs. And two sets of double doors that were closed. The desk looked like it should hold a receptionist or something. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes letting her slayer senses take over. She could hear murmurs of people talking upstairs but more important through the second set of double doors, the ones behind the desk she could hear two people speaking that she recognised. She wondered if they realised they had a portal in their backyard but quickly discarded that thought as she started feeling weaker and made her way over to the doors. Without knocking she opened the door and smirked when they hadn't noticed her. She took a minute composing her voice so she didn't sound shaky, she knew she was fading fast and would probably pass out soon.

"Hey B, long time no see. Fang, S'up?" She asked leaning all her weight on the door she had a hold of. Their faces were a picture…that is before everything went black.

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**TBC…**

**REVIEW, tell me what you thought, do you think this story has the potential to be good? Like is said tell me what you thought. **

**O, pairings? Who should Faith end up with? **

**Buffy?**

**Angel?**

**Or someone completely new? **

**VOTE**


	3. 2

**Disclaimer for whole story: I do not own anything to do with BtVS, not the characters nothing, zilch. So there, this is just a fanfiction. And ain't it obvious I don't own BtVS, otherwise why the hell would the show not still be on. I mean come ON! Ok so officially rambling but anyway…**

**Summary: Set after Chosen, S7 finale. Faith was left out of all the plans and everyone moved on with their lives, many wondered what she did after battling the first but none knew, there were rumours but never true sightings of the dark slayer. Now 5 years later she turns up and with a new big bad God from a hell dimension threatening to take over the world it is just as well. Can the past be kept in the past to ensure there is a future?**

**O, pairings? Who should Faith end up with? **

**Buffy?**

**Angel?**

**Or someone completely new? **

**VOTE!**

**NOTE: Thanks to everyone that has reviewed, I appreciate the input. I've had some great suggestions on pairings…thanks.**

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**Cruciatus**

By Audiodream

**2. Some Wounds Never Heal**

BUFFY:

Buffy was too shocked to move at first, or talk, or even breath. Just half hour ago had she been thinking about this woman and now she shows up all beaten up. Just as she was about to talk Faith's smile fell and she toppled forwards, collapsing. Both her and Angel ran to her side. That was when she noticed it, the large gash in her side. She was bleeding and she didn't need to ask Angel if she was bleeding badly because he was distancing himself and walking towards the phone calling medical services.

Soon after Amber arrived, one of the senior SITs and also a member of the medical wing. She told them they had to get her into the infirmary as soon as possible. Hearing this Angel overcame his fear of being too close to Faith's blood and picked her up walking speedily towards the third floor where the infirmary was. Buffy and Amber exchanged a look, Amber silently asking who it was and how they got there. Buffy just glanced at Angel and hurried after him. Truthfully she had no idea how Faith got there, or how she got so beaten up, all she knew was that she needed medical help and her taking time to explain who she was would just be a waste.

She glanced into the room where Amber and Toni, two senior slayers and medical staff at the local hospital were working on Faith and then took a seat next to Angel in the room they had allocated for when people wanted to wait if someone they knew were injured. That tended to happen a lot in all of the Academies.

"I'm gonna kill who ever did that to her Buffy, I swear it. It's bad I can tell." He said not looking at her but pointing to his nose indicating he could smell she had lost a lot of blood.

"I know how you feel, she looks so hurt. But we have to tell ourselves she's going to be alright. She's been through worse, when I…I stabbed her, the coma, The Orpheus/mini coma, the first. She has to make it through this." She said patting him on the back not sure what he was feeling. "So when are you leaving? You said earlier Wes made it sound pretty important." She asked trying to start a different conversation. Just before Faith had turned up in her office they had been discussing Angel leaving for a week, going back to LA where Wes still was. Apparently he had come across a demon or something and a prophecy. Said Angel was needed.

"Tonight, if she hasn't woken up by then I need you to call me when she does and let me speak to her. You know just so that she knows I haven't abandoned her again?" He asked. Still not looking at her. She nodded and then said 'yup' for his benefit. She knew how he felt; they all in their own way had abandoned Faith more than once when she needed their help or comfort, or both. "Thanks." He said and then started staring out of the window, watching the way the sun played on the pond.

Buffy and the rest of the 'staff' of the school had agreed to install that special glass therefore allowing Angel to walk freely around the school without, you know, turning into a pile of dust.

Three hours the sun had set and Angel grunted something that sounded like goodbye before checking on Faith before leaving to LA. She hoped when he got back from his trip he wouldn't be in a brood-fest.

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FAITH: (DREAMING)

She knew she was dreaming or having a nightmare, either way she knew it wasn't real, just by the way the thick dark air clung to her. Almost suffocating her.

She was stood on what looked like a large pillar and immediately recognised where she was. She was back there, where she had been for the past five years. Bile raised in her throat as memories came flooding back to her of her time spent there. She tried covering her mouth with her hand but found it chained to the walls. Then she heard the evil sneer coming from the shadows and immediately the panic built up deep inside of her. She had lived through this once already, just before getting to the place where she could call upon the portal to bring her right here, in B's backyard.

Only this time in her dream she didn't get out of the wrist bonds quick enough and soon the giant demon was advancing on her, she shook at the metal bonds harder but to no avail, silently she was shouting: '_No, No this isn't how is goes down? No!' _She saw the flash of metal and almost disbelievingly looked down to her stomach where a knife was protruding from her. She blinked in confusion and immense pain washed over her, it wasn't any knife it was the Mayor's knife. She looked up expecting to see the demon there but instead she saw Buffy, looking not like the younger B but the one that was stood in that office when she arrived. She found her self shouting NO before finally waking up.

XXX

When she woke up she found herself in unknown territory, her slayer senses were telling her that down the corridor sat Buffy and that there was no one in the room with her. She sat up a little and immediately regretted it. Sure the bleeding had stopped but even with slayer healing she would still feel the pain until tomorrow morning. She guessed at the moment it was about midnight.

Looking around the room it looked like a hospital, but she knew by looking out the window she was still in the house where she had found B and Fang. She wanted to call for someone but she found her voice came out as a little whisper. 'Great, just great.' She thought to herself and sighed loudly slamming her head back down into the pillows. Wincing as she felt it course through her body.

Quickly getting fed up and bored she noticed a pile of books next to the bed, she gingerly reached out with her left arm and knocked the pile off, knowing B would hear it and come rushing in. And what did she say? Here came B.

"Faith! You're awake, sooner than I was told but still…" She said shocked turning on the lights and picking up the books.

"You…You know me…never one to follow what everyone else does." She half whispered half croaked out. She coughed a little which caused her to wince. She hated feeling helpless, and worse someone was there to see it. "B? Got any water? Kinda feelin' thirsty." She whispered again, not on purpose but that was all she could manage at the moment. B looked like a deer caught in the headlights and Faith felt like throwing the books over again just to startle her, but she didn't she just waited patiently until B came back to the land of the living.

"Sorry what did ya say Faith?" She said shaking her head as if to get rid of her daydream or whatever.

"Water?" She said and immediately recognition presented itself on the older slayers face and she made her way over to a table and poured a glass. Without saying anything Faith took a long gulp and finished off the glass.

"Thanks." She said handing back the glass, "feel better already." She joked. Not even a smirk played on the blonds lips. This was slayer-Buffy, the one all about business. Faith would have groaned but the slayer would have thought she was in pain or something. Faith glanced at the blond and to her surprise she refrained from the 'interrogation' and smiled.

"We'll talk tomorrow, get some rest Faith." She said and then she was gone. Leaving Faith completely confused.

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**TBC…**

**REVIEW, tell me what you thought, do you think this story has the potential to be good? Like I said tell me what you thought. **

**O, pairings? Who should Faith end up with? **

**Buffy?**

**Angel?**

**Or someone completely new? **

**VOTE**


	4. 3

**Disclaimer for whole story: I do not own anything to do with BtVS, not the characters nothing, zilch. So there, this is just a fanfiction. And ain't it obvious I don't own BtVS, otherwise why the hell would the show not still be on. I mean come ON! Ok so officially rambling but anyway…**

**Summary: Set after Chosen, S7 finale. Faith was left out of all the plans and everyone moved on with their lives, many wondered what she did after battling the first but none knew, there were rumours but never true sightings of the dark slayer. Now 5 years later she turns up and with a new big bad God from a hell dimension threatening to take over the world it is just as well. Can the past be kept in the past to ensure there is a future?**

**O, pairings? Who should Faith end up with? **

**Buffy?**

**Angel?**

**Another one of the Scoobs?**

**Or someone completely new? **

**VOTE!**

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**Cruciatus**

By Audiodream

**3. Begging for Answers**

FAITH:

After her slightly confusing exchange of words with Buffy in the middle of the night she had found it harder to sleep. But finally by 2.00AM she had found a peaceful slumber, well the nightmare hadn't come back at least.

When she awoke she felt a hundred times better, she had been right her slayer healing had taken affect and her wounds were healing nicely. She woke up at 5.00AM, finding no one else around she fragilely sat up, swung her legs over the bed and then started getting dressed in some sweats.

Making her way out of the room she kept her left arm wrapped around her torso. She wasn't in immense pain but every now and then there was the odd twinge. Over the past year she had dislocated her left arm so many times she lost count. Also it made her feel better keeping her arm pressed against her now stitched up wound in her abdomen. No doubt it would leave a scar, even with slayer healing. The thought of stab wounds and scars on her stomach made remnants of her nightmare come back to her and she physically shook her head to rid herself of the images.

She took a left down a long corridor after going up a flight of steps and found herself in another corridor filled with doors that led to class room type places. With desks, seats, and whiteboards. She continued until she found another slight of stairs and that was when she found it. On the third floor, at first it presented itself as a small hall before going through twin white doors into the biggest gym Faith had ever seen. It seemed the whole third floor had been turned into a massive training hall for the SITs. This was just the place she was looking for. A place to blow a little steam before any of the others emerged.

She walked across the floor, still holding her torso with her left arm. She wasn't stupid; she knew she shouldn't work her left arm too much so she wouldn't. But she needed to blow off a little steam before B started with all her questioning. Sure she no longer was a psycho evil bitch, but that didn't mean they would trust her answers 100, especially when they wouldn't be the truth. Faith wasn't naïve, she knew the truth would only lead to more questions she couldn't and wouldn't answer. So for now the lies she had been making up last night whilst waiting for sleep to come over her would have to be enough. Hell, even she didn't know most of the answers. And until she did there was no way she was going to share what she knew with B or any of the others.

She found what she had been looking for in the gym, a punching bag. Making her way over to the bench near the south wall she grabbed some random white material and started tightly wrapping it around her right hand and then repeating the process on her left. Not bothering with gloves she headed to the bag she had chosen to use for her work out.

She started off nice and easy, only using her right arm, then gradually her 'nice and easy' right hooks and jabs turned into full force and soon not bothering laying off her left arm she started pelting the bag with everything she had in her. Every punch or kick having the full backing of her slayer strength and all the turmoil she felt at the moment.

She didn't know how long she had been there beating the bag, or when the small twinge in her fists turned to pain but she became fully aware that she was being watched when she heard someone clearing their throat. With one last high kick on her right side she stopped the moving bag and turned to face the person who must have been an early riser like she was.

"B." She said lamely as she stared across the floor to the other slayer. She noticed B's attention was turned to her fists, she looked down and they were bleeding, the white of the fabric she had wrapped around them for support was stained with her blood. She hadn't noticed, and that scared her.

"Going at the bag a bit hard ain't ya?" B asked obviously a little shocked to find her up and about, let alone giving her everything to a punch bag. "'Specially since the state you were in yesterday." Faith found her self nodding not sure what to say. "Your high kicks are a little sloppy; vamp woulda had your ass." Buffy said trying to lighten the tension that had fell between them and Faith was grateful. She smirked, like usual.

"Hey what can a girl do around here to get a little sympathy," Faith said and then a mischievous spark entered her eyes. "They might not be my best but they still beat yours Miss Shorty." B mock gasped at this and threw a bottle of water Faith's way. Suddenly the tension was there again and Faith knew what was coming.

"After breakfast meet with me, Giles, Will, and Kennedy and we'll talk about stuff." B said before heading out leaving Faith with a bigger desire to just leave without saying anything to anyone.

But knowing there had to be a reason why the portal led to the backyard of the San Francisco Potentials' Academy, she resisted the urge and decided to stay put. Besides, she had no where else to go.

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BUFFY:

It had been a shock to her to find Faith up and about, after all her injuries looked life threatening just the night before. Yet again though Faith managed to surprise. Buffy was worried for her fellow slayer, the only other slayer who knew what it felt like to be a slayer before the first. What it had meant.

The state that she had found her in this morning had worried her even more; she was going so hard at that poor punch bag that Buffy thought that it might fall off of the ceiling. And then with the state of Faith's hands, she hadn't even seemed to notice until she caught her obviously staring at them. It had shocked her, reminded her too much of the 'old' Faith, the one who had been more reckless and…evil.

Now they all sat, all five of them, around the desk in her office waiting for someone to speak up. And knowing they were all waiting for her she begrudgingly started. Not knowing what to say she started off lamely.

"So Faith, how are you feeling?" She said and as soon as the words left her mouth she knew it sounded as lame as she thought it would have.

"Fine, just fantastic." Faith said, going off into her own thoughts for a moment and staring at her bloodied knuckles. "Look we all know this isn't a 'get-to-know-faith…again' circle so stop beating around the bush and start with the questions. I got places to be…B." Faith said obviously uneasy with all the eyes on her and all the unasked questions.

"How've you been the last five years?" Willow asked breaking the ice. Faith moved her gaze from her hands to Willow. Faith's eyes showed no emotion what so ever and that gave Buffy the impression that she had a lot of it going on underneath.

"You know me, Five by Five." Faith said with a smirk that, again, didn't reach her eyes.

"Where've you been?" Kennedy asked this time. Faith again shifted her gaze to the right person.

"Around." She answered evasively. "Here and there. Mostly just kicking ass, partying hard…" She let her sentence trail out and Buffy felt herself get angry with her. She was answering their questions but not, if that made any sense. She wasn't giving them any answers that cleared anything up for them.

"Finding redemption?" She asked and saw Willow glance at her, immediately knowing it had come out more harshly than she had wanted. She was just so damn frustrated with these half answers.

"Obviously, girl like me gotta keep hoping for the big R word." She answered again in her cocky left unsaid way. Buffy forced herself to keep her mouth shut as Giles asked the next questions.

"How did you know about this place? I mean we don't really advertise much." He asked curiously. In fact it struck a cord in Buffy, how had Faith found out where they were based?

"Just heard about it and decided to pay a visit. If it's ok I was hoping to hang around for a while, see what's this place has got to offer." She said in a sincere voice. Faith, the girl who lived by the motto: 'want, take have.' Was asking their permission to hang around for a bit. She couldn't help but smile a little, noticing for the first time how much this woman had changed in the last eight years since she woke up from her coma. All the feelings of suspicion and distrust had dissipated when she had asked subtly if she could stay. If she was wanted.

"Sure you can, I'll have someone show you to the room you can stay in." Buffy told her and with that the 'interrogation' was over.

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ANGEL:

It had been a week since he left, and now, under the protection of night he was making his way back to San Francisco. He had heard some bad news from Wes. The ex-watcher had turned up a new prophecy that was to bring on the next big apocalypse.

If he could he would leave Buffy, Faith and the scoobies out of this one but he couldn't do this on his own and this looked like it could be a big one. Just like the first and Glory. It was a god from another dimension. He wasn't quite sure of the specifics yet but he knew something had to be done.

When he arrived at the Academy it was almost midnight, it was a Tuesday so not a patrol night so the SITs would be in their rooms and the scoobs, Buffy and hopefully Faith would be around. He knew they had to get on this immediately and he wanted to tell them about it tonight. So tomorrow they could get right with starting the research that was needed.

He found Willow, Kennedy and Giles all together in the living room talking and chatting, he told them to meet him in the library in five minutes once he had found Faith and Buffy. They nodded and already he could see them switch into 'save-the-world' _Again _mode.

Next he found Buffy; she was in the kitchen fixing her self a glass of red wine before heading to bed, he was sorry to have to tell her that she had to listen to him first. She agreed to wait for him in the library like the rest of them.

Lastly he had to find Faith and he found her beating a punch bag in the third floor gym. He stood in the shadows for a moment just watching her perfect moves and her skill. He truly admired it. Sometimes her moves were a bit hacked and filled with her emotions but when she was just training like this she moved with elegance and grace that he had trouble finding in the other slayers moves. She had obviously been training and/or fighting a lot over the past five years.

Just by the way she held herself you could tell that. Her muscles were more defined now, but in a beautifully feminine way. The way she held her attacking position told him she had had reason to perfect it over the years. And it was just that: perfect. Sure at the moment her right high kick was a little off but that would have to be expected from the injuries he could tell she had had when she first arrived.

Another thing he noticed was now that she was wearing a tank top he could see she had gotten a new tattoo on her left shoulder blade. It was a pentagram; in the middle of the pentagram was a face of a demon or vampire. The five points of the pentagram met with a circle, which was inside of another circle. It looked really intriguing and was the darkest colour black Angel had ever seen. It especially stood out on her tanned shoulder.

Suddenly the younger of the original slayers whipped round and glared at him, obviously sensing a vampire. Her features softened when she found out it was him. She took off the material wrapped around her fists quickly then grabbed her bag and made her way over to him. Neither of them being too big on the whole touchy feely thing they left it and just smiled at each other instead.

"So I hear great big Angel had to take a trip on some big discovery thing, anything good?" She asked while they slowly started walking out of the gym.

"UH, not if you call another apocalypse a good thing. Wes found a prophecy that makes it sound like another end of the world thing is about to start. I got the scoobies down in the library waiting for us. You coming?" He asked, stopping at the top of the stairs. For a moment he thought she would say no, but then her smirk returned and nodded. Together they made their way to the library where they would all learn about this new threat.

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**TBC…**

**REVIEW, tell me what you thought, do you think this story has the potential to be good? Like is said tell me what you thought. **

**O, pairings? Who should Faith end up with? **

**Buffy?**

**Angel?**

**Another one of the Scoobs?**

**OR someone completely new?**

**VOTE**


	5. 4

**Disclaimer for whole story: I do not own anything to do with BtVS, not the characters nothing, zilch. So there, this is just a fanfiction. And ain't it obvious I don't own BtVS, otherwise why the hell would the show not still be on. I mean come ON! Ok so officially rambling but anyway…**

**Summary: Set after Chosen, S7 finale. Faith was left out of all the plans and everyone moved on with their lives, many wondered what she did after battling the first but none knew, there were rumours but never true sightings of the dark slayer. Now 5 years later she turns up and with a new big bad God from a hell dimension threatening to take over the world it is just as well. Can the past be kept in the past to ensure there is a future?**

**FEEDBACK: please review and give me feedback, I love it when you do…hint hint…**

**Note; thanks to all of you that have reviewed, I love it when I get feedback from my stories, so thanks I really appreciate it.**

**Note #2: I decided on pairings but I'm not telling yet, it's a secret…**

**

* * *

**

**Cruciatus**

By Audiodream

**4. Prophesized**

* * *

BUFFY:

Buffy had no idea what was going on, one minute she was fixing herself a fresh glass of red wine before planning to go to bed when Angel comes into the kitchen telling her that he needed them all gathered in the library. He told her to wait there with the others whilst he went to get Faith. That was ten minutes ago. She could only presume something had happened while he was in LA with Wesley Wyndam-Price: her old watcher.

Just as Giles was about to comment on this evening's odd turn of events Angel and Faith made their way into the library, neither of them saying anything at first. For a moment Buffy thought Faith was going to say something to get Angel to start, but to her surprise (which seemed to be happening a lot recently when it came to her sister slayer) it seemed that Faith had learned patience wherever she had been the past five years since the battle with the first.

"Sorry for ruining your evening but we got another apocalypse coming." Angel started and waited for that to settle before continuing. "Wes found a prophecy; it's called the Fides, which in Latin terms means Belief. This prophecy comes in two parts; we've only been able to recover the first. But Wes is working on locating the second. Giles have you ever heard of this prophecy. Apparently it is as nearly as old as the first." Angel told them and Buffy felt the seriousness of this prophecy weighing down on her already, if Angel had brought it to them it was bad. She glanced at Giles who was frowning and cleaning his glasses.

"Oh dear, yes I have. There are a certain number of prophecies that watchers are taught about, this being one of them. But this is by far the most dubious one we have ever come across as the first or second parts were never recovered, it was a mere myth. Do you have the script present; I would very much like to study it immediately?" Giles said replacing his glasses to accept the piece of script Angel had already had out ready. "It is written in some form of Latin, has Wesley been able to decipher it as of yet?"

"Yes, I've got a copy of what was written here." Giles took it from Angel and read it silently before sharing it with the group.

"Oh dear," He paused and cleared his throat. "After the time of a great battle has taken place the power of the almighty portal Foreman shall be at a loss. The energy of the opening shall be less than before allowing for the Electus and the Repartidor to pass through.

Both of Dark heritages, both seek the light in their own form. One shall be the end of the dimension known as Humus; one shall be destined to be the saviour of it.

After their fight neither shall stand, one shall be eternally blessed, the other eternally cursed. They will face each other, to determine the fate of the great Humus.' It will be destroyed by –" Giles stopped as if expecting more. But then placed the sheet of paper down on the mahogany table and sat on the edge in thought.

"Ok, so what does that mean? Foreman, Electus, Repartidor, Humus? All words people under the age of thirty don't know about." Buffy asked quizzically, wondering what had worried Giles and Angel so much.

"They are all latin terms, Foreman means Portal. Electus means chosen, Repartidor means deliverer but is Spanish rather than Latin and Humus is us. Well Earth, our dimension that is. It seems someone, a god - whether that is Electus or Repartidor is unclear, but what is clear is that one is meant to destroy our world as we know it and the other is meant to stop the other. Perhaps the only one that can." Giles told them rather absently.

Everyone remained silent after that, Willow and Kennedy sat in a chair, Willow perched in Kennedy's lap. Both wondering what this new threat was. Faith leant against the door frame, seemingly in thought. Giles was, once again, cleaning his glasses. Angel just stood completely still. And Buffy sat there, watching as the other basked in the tension of another apocalyptic prophecy.

* * *

FAITH:

After learning about the new prophecy and the possible apocalyptic implications she told the group that she needed some rest, her side was hurting. In truth what had been bugging her was the lack of sleep, ever since she had returned her sleep had been interrupted by terrifying nightmares from her past five years. Some of them memories some of them different.

She almost collapsed onto her bed before what would hopefully be a restful slumber took her.

Hopefully.

Unfortunately that was wishful thinking speaking for Faith.

_She sat upright from where she had previously been resting her broken and bruised body. She was absolutely exhausted, physically and emotionally. She had been here far longer than she had expected. Killing demons and trying to find the portal that would bring her back home. _

_She knew when **he **told her about this place she needed to do something, but he had said for one year only, now it was nearing five and she still hadn't been brought back home. In truth she had been in this place for four years one hundred and eighty three days; and each day had been hell. She had endured a lot but she still would not give up, she would get out of here. She had too. She crawled forwards and out of the small cave she had slept in, moving forwards on her hands and knees she groaned loudly when she saw HIM standing there. Smiling broadly with brilliant white pointy teeth that looked like they belonged to a shark rather than this man in front of her. Of course later she would learn he was a lot more than just a man, he was a god: Crutio. _

"_You fought well, but now you are once again mine, and unlike the other demons and gods you have met in this dimension I will NOT leave you alive at the end of it, My Faith." He said before, with amazing force and speed, kicking her onto her back. His menacing smile was the last thing she saw that day, before waking up the next, then the next. One day, after three years in his _care_ she escaped. She spent the next three months looking for the portal, before getting caught by another god of that dimension. Each day wishing she could get her hands on him, the gatekeeper, the old man she had met who had told her it would only be for a year. Of course she hadn't thought about how time is different in different dimensions. She saw the menacing face of the god that most interrupted her sleep once more before waking up in a cold sweat and a scream._

_

* * *

ANGEL:_

After Faith had gone to bed, the others followed shortly after. Willow and Kennedy first, then Buffy and finally Giles. Angel had decided he would stay up a while more, wanting to find something that might be of some use of them. He hated putting this prophecy on them after all they had been through over the years and hoped that while they were resting he would find something that might take their mind off of it a bit.

He started looking through the obvious books, books about demons and gods and the said prophecy. Only thing was all the books on the prophecy they were researching only mentioned that it was unknown whether this prophecy was true or whether it was just a myth made up.

After three hours of this the clock in the library chimed 3.30AM Angel was about to give up and maybe make a quick patrol around the neighbourhood or retire to his room when a thought occurred to him.

"The First." He said to himself realising he had just wasted his evening. He should be looking in books detailing the first, as the prophecy was, if not as old, nearly the same age as the first. There had to be something in them.

Another hour and he finally was onto something. He had found a book that had a detailed explanation of the first part of the prophecy and a few more pieces of information. The one that most stood out to him was an illustration of the symbol to the hell dimension Cruciatus, where this demon god was from. He recognised it from somewhere. He just couldn't remember.

Sighing and leaning back in his chair he glanced at the clock, half four. He decided to grab a few hours sleep while the others were still in bed. He had the feeling it was going to be a long day ahead of him.

* * *

BUFFY:

Ever since Faith had returned everything had been moving too fast for the eldest slayer, the original slayer, to comprehend how things were changing. It seemed like at the moment her life was stuck in a black hole. Everything around her was spinning and she didn't know how to stop it.

Something had woken her up in the night, around three o'clock. Deciding she couldn't get any more sleep she got up and headed to get an early morning training session in before she had her shower.

Absently she started stretching in the first training room on the first floor she found when she heard low grunting and what sounding like someone crying somewhere else on the floor. Curiosity edging her forward, staying in the shadows she moved towards the noise. Still remaining in the shadows, she watched her dark counter part losing it emotionally whilst punching angrily at a punch bag. She had been right about the tears, Faith was crying. Faith. The former evil rogue slayer who never let her emotions show was crying. Openly. Well not openly because she thought she was alone in the middle of the night. Still it was a shock for Buffy to see. It seemed she wasn't the only one feeling their lives were spinning out of control. Again.

Not sure what to do she slowly, carefully and silently crept over to the middle of the room. Faith not noticing her at all. That was why when Buffy placed her hand suddenly on Faith's shoulder, meant as a comforting gesture, the younger woman whirled around and her fist connected with Buffy's jaw. From impact her head whirled back and she could immediately taste the blood in her mouth. 'Damn her right hook has gotten meaner.' She thought absently, now massaging her jaw. She looked up to see Faith's face stricken with fear, pain and shock, and physical tear trails on her cheeks. She looked a wreck.

"B…I didn't see you there…sorry." She said immediately angrily wiping the trails of tears away from her face using her fist wrappings that were once again stained with her blood.

"It's ok, you were busy and concentrating on training." She said then playfully added. "and why aren't you in bed young lady?" Faith tried to smile at her attempted joke but it didn't reach her eyes. She shrugged.

"Bad dream, look B I'm gonna go take a shower. See ya later maybe, for breakfast. Okay?" She asked, not bothering to unwrap her hands yet, knowing she will have to bandage them in the bathroom later. Buffy nods not knowing what to say to the other original chosen one and watches her as she leaves. Buffy sighed loudly when the younger girl was out of sight.

Something was going on with Faith, it wasn't obvious during the day, but tonight it had been clear as day. The younger girl was going through something but wasn't forthcoming with information. On any other day Buffy might have pressed for answers but she wasn't up to it now. She had come here to train because she couldn't sleep and she suddenly felt drained from energy again. She looked at her watch. 5.00 AM. She figured she could still get a couple of hours in before she needed to be up to worry about this prophecy thing they knew virtually nothing about.

* * *

While the three of them were still awake at this hour none of them noticed the tall man appear out of nowhere in their garden…

The same spot where Faith had appeared.

* * *

**TBC…**

**FEEDBACK: I much appreciate reviews so…REVIEW, tell me what you thought, do you think this story has the potential to be good? Like is said tell me what you thought. **

**Note; thanks to all of you that have reviewed, I love it when I get feedback from my stories, so thanks I really appreciate it.**


	6. 5

**Disclaimer for whole story: I do not own anything to do with BtVS, not the characters nothing, zilch. So there, this is just a fanfiction. And ain't it obvious I don't own BtVS, otherwise why the hell would the show not still be on. I mean come ON! Ok so officially rambling but anyway…**

**Summary: Set after Chosen, S7 finale. Faith was left out of all the plans and everyone moved on with their lives, many wondered what she did after battling the first but none knew, there were rumours but never true sightings of the dark slayer. Now 5 years later she turns up and with a new big bad God from a hell dimension threatening to take over the world it is just as well. Can the past be kept in the past to ensure there is a future?**

**FEEDBACK: please review and give me feedback, I love it when you do…hint hint…**

**Note; thanks to all of you that have reviewed, I love it when I get feedback from my stories, so thanks I really appreciate it.**

**Note #2: I decided on pairings but I'm not telling yet, it's a secret…

* * *

**

**Cruciatus**

By Audiodream

**5. Truths**

KENNEDY:

It had been two weeks since Faith had arrived unexpectedly at the academy and for the past week the brunette slayer hadn't been seen much. She was either training, sleeping or going off somewhere in San Francisco.

She, Willow, Buffy, Giles and Angel had spent that time researching this new prophecy, but it seemed that the dark haired woman didn't feel threatened at all by the potential apocalypse and was happy to leave it to the rest of the team to do.

It really bugged Kennedy that Faith got out of research, the way she saw it they had all been working for the past five years whilst the other original chosen one had had that time off to do what she wanted.

"Hey Ken-doll, how's the research party coming on?" Faith asked her as she came through the French doors into the research room and took a relaxing sit down in a chair at the long mahogany table that was littered full of open books that they were looking through. Kennedy set her jaw at hearing the annoying nickname Faith always called her.

"I don't know why don't you tell me?" She asked sarcastically whilst setting her book aside and glaring at the older woman. She noticed Faith's eyebrows draw together. The older brunette sent her a look that clearly asked 'HUH?' "I mean if you were actually ever present and were to help us then you would know how the research 'party' was coming on." To that Faith held her hands up in sign of peace.

"Hey, no need to go on the offence, just asking. What's got you so highly strung?" The older brunette asked taking a sip from a bottle of water she was carrying. Kennedy closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down by taking a deep breathe.

"Well maybe if I had just resurfaced after a relaxing five year 'holiday' then I'd be less 'highly strung' and relaxed without a care in the world, just like you." Kennedy said still with her eyes shut, trying to stop and get control of her anger knowing it would just piss Faith off and that it wasn't just Faith that had made her in a mood. "Only I wouldn't arrive looking like I had just been dug out of ditch." She said quietly not thinking anyone would hear her. Suddenly she found herself and her chair toppling over and the air rushed out of her as she slammed onto the hard floor.

"Don't talk about shit you don't know Kennedy." Oh she had pissed Faith off; she wasn't even bothering with nicknames anymore. Faith just stormed out of the research room.

"Help me up someone?" Kennedy asked once she got her breathe back.

"No." Came Willow's, her girlfriend's, response. "You deserved that." Willow said without even looking at her.

"I know." Kennedy said quietly making no effort to get up, throwing her arms over her eyes in frustration.

* * *

ANGEL:

Listening to Kennedy and Faith argue in the research room had made him wonder why it was that Faith wasn't researching with them? He had been the first person he had told about the prophecy, he was sure she would want to know the 'stitch', as she called it. He continued to blankly stare at the book he was researching in thought for a few moments.

"Buffy, could I speak with you for a moment? In your office?" He asked and the small blond nodded immediately and got up, obviously happy to be doing anything else than research. He followed her out, noticing the odd glances they were sending them.

He followed Buffy into her office and closed the door behind them; the blond took a seat on the edge of her desk while he took to pacing the floor.

"So, you wanted to talk?" She asked wringing her hands obviously wondering what he wanted to talk about. He stopped pacing and faced her.

"Yeah, it's about Faith. I was gone that first week after Faith arrived and I haven't heard anything. I just want you to tell me about Faith." He said leaning his back against the wall and his left boot.

"She arrived with serious injuries, a dislocated left shoulder, broken ribs, cuts and bruises everywhere, but the worst was a deep stab wound in her right side. She woke up a couple of hours after you left, asking for water. Then at 5.00 am I found her going at it rough with a punch bag. She says she's five by five, but I'm worried." Buffy told him. He nodded at her and kicked off from the wall, paced the office a couple of times and then resumed his position on the wall again.

"What about where she's been? Who or what did that to her?" He asked, and noticed when Buffy sighed and smirked.

"Answered in traditional Faith style. 'Where have you been these past five years?' 'Here and There'. No one actually knows," She thinks for a moment. "Apart from Faith obviously, at least I hope so…unless she has amnesia, but I don't think she does." He found himself chuckling at her and the lame attempt at mimicking Faith's thick sultry voice. "Hey just 'cause I'm blond. You worried about her too, huh?" She asked.

"Yeah, something's not right with her." He told her.

"Tell me about it. That shiny new bruise here on my jaw last week, not from a stable Faith." From his look she continued. "I went to the gym, Faith was in there wailing on a bag hard, I mean really hard. She was emotional, crying even. I know Faith doesn't cry, but last week she was, I mean bawling her eyes out. Knuckles split, blood, tears. I go to talk to her; she doesn't hear me and lashes out when I startle her." She says in such a serious voice and the look on her face tells him it was as bad as it sounded.

"Maybe we should talk to her? You know like press for the details?" He asked hoping she'd say she'd do it. Which when she did he sighed with relief. "So when are you gon-"

"Hey is this a private school or can anyone join?" A voice said from the doorway. They both turned and their jaws dropped when they saw Dawn stood there with a suitcase.

* * *

DAWN:

As soon as she had stepped through the main doors to the academy she had felt the tension. She knew something was up, probably some new big bad or some apocalyptic prophecy….again. She felt like maybe cutting her holiday in Europe short hadn't been such a good idea.

After what seemed like a couple of minutes of gawping at her Buffy made her way over and hugged her.

"Dawn," She exclaimed in surprise, of course she hadn't been expecting her for another week. "What are you doing here? Is everything ok?" She had to smile at her sisters concern. After everything they had been through over the years no one knew what could happen to the 'Key' on a simple relaxing holiday to Europe.

"I'm fine, just decided to come back early. So what's going on here then?" That launched Angel into explaining everything that had happened with Faith returning, the prophecy and this weird symbol that he knew he had seen somewhere before but can't seem to remember.

"Weird." Was all she could say at the end of it. She was itching to see Faith again; she hadn't seen her since leaving LA five years ago. And despite how she had greeted her when she first arrived in Sunnydale after prison she had missed her then too. "So, where's Faith now?"

"She'll either be in the gym on the third floor or most likely in her room, next to mine." Buffy told her, leaning on the corner of her desk crossing her arms. "Why don't you go get settled in and then go talk to her? She's been a little wound up since she got here, probably be nice to see a friendly face." Buffy said, as if she sensed her want to see the rogue slayer. Dawn nodded, smiled, hugged both of them and then quickly made her way up the stairs to the floor where they all stayed.

After quickly disposing of her bags in her room, she made her way to the room that her sister had told her Faith was staying in. Just as she was about to knock, she could hear sounds coming from inside, it sounded like someone crying, or whimpering. Carefully she opened the door and made her way inside, the first thing she noticed was the dark figure in the middle of the bed. She was sleeping, but she looked exhausted, like she hadn't been getting enough sleep in the past two weeks or so. She looked like she was having a nightmare; she was lightly thrashing around and making whimpering protests in a very un-Faith like manner.

The next thing that Dawn noticed was the pill bottle on the side cabinet, sleeping pills. Prescribed by a local doctor to a Miss Faith Lehane yesterday. That made Dawn sure that the brunette slayer had been having trouble sleeping, so bad in fact she had gone to a doctor, something she never would do unless it was absolutely necessary. Safe to say that perhaps the last five years hadn't been the best for Faith.

That got Dawn thinking, why would she just suddenly turn up now? Just a few days before the gang learn of a new prophecy. If there was something that Dawn had learned from life was there was no such thing as coincidence, ok so there was but in her life it was unlikely. Thinking it was best for the slayer to sleep Dawn made her way out of the room silently as to not disturb the sleeping brunette.

* * *

KENNEDY:

'Ugh why did I have to get stuck with patrol tonight?' Kennedy thought to herself as she walked along the side streets that would take her back to the Academy. Because of the prophecy they had decided that only one experienced slayer would go out at night, no newbie's. And thanks to her winding up Faith they had seen it fair punishment. Now she had been walking through San Francisco for the past three hours and met nothing but two newbie vamps.

Just as she was turning into the road where the Academy lived her slayer senses went off the wall. She knew she was being watched. Turning around slowly, doing a full 360 she determined that there weren't many of them. All she could see were the tall trees, that seemed unusually still, and the shadows that they created due to the light from the moon. Before she knew what was happening something kicked her in the back sending her into one of said trees. She felt one of her ribs break on the impact. She turned just in time to see a fist coming her way; she made to block it with her forearm but the attacked changed course so quickly she stood no chance. Her lip split as the strong, obviously male, fist collided head on with her mouth. She grunted in pain. That was then followed mercilessly by a barrage of equally fast and strong jabs to her torso, and kicks. Soon she found herself staring up at the night's sky, wishing for the peace that came with unconsciousness. After one more abrupt kick to the ribs, the attacker stood back into the light of the streetlamp. Letting her see him for the first time.

He was tall, 6ft 4 maybe, and he was built like a wrestler. He wore black army boots accompanied by black cargo trousers. His torso was covered by a black shirt, only buttoned by one button in the middle, showing off his six pack and muscles. To finished the look off he wore a black suede duster. His fashion sense was a lot like Spike's had been. He was shorter than Spike though and obviously not a vampire, maybe some kind of demon. He laughed, bringing her attention to his face. He had a round head, his eyes were such a dark colour of blue they looked almost grey. His hair was shaved to one short length all the way around; his hair was dark brown almost black. He looked like evil personified.

"Don't worry little girl I'm not going to kill you. I just needed you to listen. I need you to carry a message back to your home, for THE slayer. Tell her that you have spoken to Repartidor, warrior for Crutio and his army. Tell her she has spent many years in our world killing our people, we will happily return the favour once I have killed her and used her blood to open the portal." And with that he was gone, allowing Kennedy to take a deep painful breathe before standing up on wobbly legs and making her way towards the Academy. She had to get this information to the gang before she could collapse into a peaceful slumber to sleep her injuries away. Sometimes you just had to love slayer healing.

* * *

**TBC…**

**FEEDBACK: I much appreciate reviews so…REVIEW, tell me what you thought, do you think this story has the potential to be good? Like is said tell me what you thought. **

**Note; thanks to all of you that have reviewed, I love it when I get feedback from my stories, so thanks I really appreciate it.**


	7. 6

**Disclaimer for whole story: I do not own anything to do with BtVS, not the characters nothing, zilch. So there, this is just a fanfiction. And ain't it obvious I don't own BtVS, otherwise why the hell would the show not still be on. I mean come ON! Ok so officially rambling but anyway…**

**Summary: Set after Chosen, S7 finale. Faith was left out of all the plans and everyone moved on with their lives, many wondered what she did after battling the first but none knew, there were rumours but never true sightings of the dark slayer. Now 5 years later she turns up and with a new big bad God from a hell dimension threatening to take over the world it is just as well. Can the past be kept in the past to ensure there is a future?**

**FEEDBACK: please review and give me feedback, I love it when you do…hint hint…**

**Note; THANKS to all of you that have reviewed, I love it when I get feedback from my stories, so thanks I really appreciate it.**

**Note #2: I decided on pairings but I'm not telling yet, it's a secret…**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Cruciatus**

By Audiodream

**6. Messages**

WILLOW:

Kennedy had been gone hours and Willow was starting to worry for her girlfriend. Sometimes her mouth could get her into trouble, even when she didn't mean it. Like earlier today, with Faith. Although that time Willow wasn't sure whether or not she meant to be mean to the older slayer. Sure with this new prophecy times were tough and all but normally they weren't at each others throats like that.

For the past week or so since Angel arrived with the news of a prophecy all they seemed to be doing was researching. Sure normally Willow was all for research, researching prophecies, demons, sometimes spells, but after a week of doing it and all you have got for it was an illustration of a mark that people got once they visited the Cruciatus dimension it seemed to put a downer on the group. Even Angel and Giles seemed to be openly bored most of the time when reading and rereading ancient texts.

Faith had actually joined them after Kennedy left to help out with the research, it seemed perhaps something Kennedy had said to her had made her want to help. Perhaps, or she was just bored and didn't have anything better to do, and since everyone she knew was researching she thought why not.

Dawn, after having dinner with the group on the short break from research, had decided to help out too. She started by rereading the prophecy text, and then going through the book with the symbol in it. Dawn actually seemed genuinely interested in the prophecy. Willow was brought from her musings when Angel clapped his hands together. Everyone turned their attention to him.

"Right, as we aren't finding anything new I thought it was best if we were to review what we do know, encase it makes us remember something we have overlooked whilst reading? Anyway, so what do we know?" He asked looking around the table.

"This fuss is all about some prophecy that most likely won't come true, and it's about some demon gods called Repartidor and Electus." Faith said in a tone that made it clear to everyone she thought this was a waste of time.

"Yep, but remember we aren't sure which is good and which is bad, also whether or not both of them are actually demon gods from this dimension." Giles corrected.

"They battle sometime in the future, one or both end up dead. They battle to keep our world, Humus, safe. One wants to keep it the way it is the other wants to allow their people to come through the portal and….eat us all?" Buffy told them. They all nodded accepting her input. She smiled, obviously grateful it hadn't been questioned.

"OH, oh I know. It's all about this hell dimension Cruciatus, and this symbol. Oh and I found out the meaning of the symbol: see here, the outer ring symbolises the eternal lasting of their suffering and service to the God Crutio, who rules Cruciatus. Then the next ring, just inside of that one symbolises the magic of the portal Foreman. Then inside the pentagram is the face of Crutio, the god that was first banished there and now runs things there. He burns his army, slaves and prisoners with his mark. Anyone really, whether he likes them or not, to show them they belong to him." Dawn said excitedly as she told everyone the meaning of the symbol, from a book she had been reading. She passed the book around, showing everyone a clearer diagram of the symbol. Something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, she turned fully and stopped at what she saw.

There on the front lawn, was Kennedy, her Kennedy, on all fours panting for breath and all bloodied and bruised. She got up immediately, ignoring the stares she received when her chair scrapped across the slate floor.

"Oh Goddess." She sighed and made a dash for the door leading to the front lawn, and therefore her girlfriend. She barely noted that they were all following her outside. Angel carried her battered girlfriend inside, and set her on the large coach in the living room. Immediately Willow was by her side, holding her hand, lending her strength to get better faster, and muttering a healing spell under her breathe.

"Are you all right sweetie? What happened?" She asked, concern filling her every bone. Somehow, somewhere she had fallen deeply in love with the tough potential slayer, turned slayer. Kennedy glanced around at the others and then back at her, then before speaking returned her gaze to Buffy.

"I was on my way home when this demon jumped me, he was strong, really strong. I couldn't take him on my own. He beat me real good then when I was down told me he wouldn't kill me 'cause he wanted me to take a message to _the _slayer, which I presume is you Buffy." Kennedy paused waiting for Buffy's reaction. When she nodded her girlfriend continued. "He told me to tell you that he was Repartidor, warrior for Crutio and his army. I got to tell you that you have spent many years in his world, killing his people and now it's their turn. That he will kill you and use your blood to open the portal. That's all he said." Kennedy said and then her eyes fluttered closed, into a peaceful slumber, hopefully, whilst her healing took effect. Everyone was silent for a moment, until Willow heard Faith mutter to Angel about wanting to talk to him and they left the room. Buffy sighed, they were all on edge.

"So we know for definite the prophecy is into play, what with the appearance of Repartidor we gotta presume that this Electus is around somewhere too, huh?" Buffy broke the uncomfortable silence that had taken over the room again. Willow glanced around the room. Giles was stood against the doorframe, cleaning his glasses and deep in thought. Dawn had a more open look of…realisation, maybe? Willow briefly wondered what that was about before looking back at Buffy. She looked concerned and worried, probably about the impending doom.

"Maybe it's fair to say that you, Buff, are Electus. I mean the slayer normally plays some part in these prophecies, and it can't be a coincidence that Repartidor, the new big bad in town, comes and delivers a message to you." _Through my girlfriend_, Willow added silently clenching her jaw.

"That's what I was thinking, perhaps this portal is somewhat like the portal Glory was trying to open in Sunnydale, the blood of the Key, or slayer, was needed. Perhaps to make the spell strong enough to open the portal and remain open long enough for Crutio and his army to pass through it needs a means of power. For example slayer blood." Giles gave his input. "Yes, that's what it must be. I'll get researching straight away." He said and with the left the living room mumbling to himself. "Why I never thought of this before is beyond me? Rupert, you old chap." Buffy raised an eyebrow at her watchers antics. But the affection was clear on her face.

Since the battle with the first and the destruction of Sunnydale so many things had changed. Xander was off somewhere in Africa, not here in San Francisco part of the Scooby gang. Sometimes Willow missed the old days when it was just three high school students and an older English librarian trying to save the people of Sunnydale, and sometimes averting an apocalypse. Now though, since the spell she had cast there were hundreds of slayers throughout the world, a whole new council and seven academies around the globe. The battle against evil was still difficult but now they were more prepared and they had a lot more resources and people offering their help.

Of course in the beginning it had been difficult, no one knew the consequence of going against the natural slayer line, girls everywhere that had potential were given the power. At first there were five year olds going around breaking all of their toys, and with a whole lot of energy. Willow, with a lot of help from the coven and Giles had cast another spell controlling the power of the slayer. Now only girls at sixteen got the slayer power. For some reason no one older than Faith was called, but now that there were a lot more slayer hopefully many would survive until they are old and grey. As for locating all of these new slayers well the connection she felt with them helped a lot, she was able to do locator spells and had found most if not all of the active slayers in the world.

Willow turned her gaze back to her best friends, the worry was already setting

in. Soon sheer determination would take place on her features. Sometimes Willow just wished the gods would favour her and maybe she could be left alone to have a normal life, well as normal as a slayer could have. Why did all the prophecies have to be about Buffy? Now there were hundreds of others. And Faith, don't forget her. She was a natural slayer, how come no one ever wrote a prophecy about her. It was as if the world all ready knew there would be two slayers, but then how come everyone had been so surprised and judgemental. Some had even frowned upon it. Wasn't there safety in numbers. Anyway, Willow tore away from her deep thoughts and put all her attention on her battered and bruised girlfriend. Thoughts could be saved for later.

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FAITH:

'Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!' Was the mantra silently working it's way through the slayers brain. Why hadn't she put two and two together before and got four? Why was it just then in the research room that her eyes opened up? God she was so stupid. She took a calm breath and stopped pacing to face Angel, who had the perfect mask of indifference. She herself had a mask of indifference but his was perfect, it hardly ever broke.

"I don't think that message was meant for Buffy, I think it was meant for me." She said bluntly, whilst thinking 'Oh hell'. His mask slipped, she saw curiosity and surprised evident in his dark orbs.

"Why?" He simply asked. 'He's such a talker' She rolled her eyes mentally.

"Because…"

By the time she had finished telling him everything, his mask was gone and she felt tears stinging her eyes. She wouldn't cry, not now. Not again, she had cried over this once already, and that was enough. Even more embarrassing that B had caught her doing it.

"Faith, why didn't you tell anyone. We could have helped you." He said, and to her surprise pulling her into a hug. She stood stiffly in his embrace for a minute before relaxing and placing her arms tightly around his waist. They stayed like that for god knows how long in a comfortable silence. "How long?" Angel finally broke it, she stepped out of the embrace and looked up at him questioningly. "How long were you there? Here it was five years but I know from experience that time moves differently in hell dimensions." He explained his question. She looked at her shoes not able to look at him while she answered.

"Twenty-Five years give or take a few days. I tried to get back earlier but the portal wouldn't open. Angel this is all my fault, if I hadn't come back then-"

"Don't say that Faith, none of this is your fault. You were screwed over by the Powers that Be and you never should have had to go there in the first place." She looked at him and saw nothing but compassion and truth within them. He rarely let emotion into his brown orbs but it was there today. And she was thankful for that, ever since coming back into the real world all she had been feeling was detached and cold. "We need to tell the others Faith, not yet though. We'll wait until tomorrow, Kennedy will be better then and I think I need to do a little more research first." After seeing the look on her face he added. "I could tell it to them if you want." She nodded.

Tomorrow, tomorrow would be the day that the secret that she had been keeping for the past Five or twenty-five years of her life would be told to everyone close to her. She just hoped they were all as understanding as Angel.

She had just come back from twenty five years in a hell dimension, she didn't want to lose everyone that she cared about. It would be too much, too much to cope with after everything else. Coming back had been so difficult on her already, what with the dreams and memories of her time there.

Having spent twenty five years in a hell dimension fighting demons she had become stronger, physically and emotionally. She could tell when she was fighting how different it was. Before she was one raging hormone angry at the world for screwing her over before she had even started her life and lashing out on instinct. That was her fighting style, hit 'em hard and hope for the best. Now she fought with passion, but held her control, she was in charge of the fight. Mastering her moves, building her strength and anticipating her opponent moves. She had become a force to be reckoned with; she knew it only she wished she hadn't. She wished she wasn't part of some prophecy that could end in the end of the world or her own death. She was only twenty six years old, although had lived an extra twenty on top of that. She was still young but had seen much for her age, and why? Because the stupid powers that be came and told her that someone had to go to the hell dimension to stop a threat that was going to try and take over the world. They had said she would only be there for a year and then she would be able to open the portal and come home. Just under a year it had took her to stop the threat, killing all the demons in the faction. But then the day to come home had come and passed, the portal hadn't opened and she had to wait another twenty four years until it finally did.

And now tomorrow they would be telling all the others about her horrible time spent in a hell dimension all 'cos she was screwed over by the good guys; just like before. But she knew what she had to do before tomorrow, there was one person that deserved the truth from herself rather than Angel; Buffy.

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BUFFY:

Buffy sat at her desk in her large office angry, annoyed and concerned; all at the same time. Why? Why did there have to be another prophecy written about her, it made her so mad. Her life had always difficult, ever since becoming the slayer. There had always been something expected from her, but now there were hundreds of slayers, it had gotten easier over the past five years. Other people got to shoulder the responsibility but now it had been handed right back over to her.

The way Giles and Willow looked at her now, it was just like with the battle with the first. As if she was some kind of goddess about to create a miracle that would save them. She hated it. A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. She looked up from the spot on the wall she had been staring at and was surprised to find Faith there.

Since she had arrived so abruptly they hadn't really had time to talk, no one knew what had happened to her to get those injuries. Buffy smiled at her and Faith stepped into the room, she looked nervous but returned the smile. Buffy didn't have to be a slayer to hear the deep breath she took as she stepped into the room.

"Hey, what's up?" Buffy asked trying to make the younger slayer more at ease with talking to her. It didn't work.

"I wanted to…talk…with you." She said hesitantly as if she was expecting herself to change her mind. Buffy just nodded her head and pointed to the free seat in front of the desk. Faith looked at it as if it was hell itself. "Not here, maybe we could um take a walk around the grounds or somethin'." Faith asked looked a little pleadingly. Faith was setting her on edge somewhat, when had Faith ever behaved like this? It must be serious; she concluded.

"Ok, it will be good to walk around a bit, ever since the attack on Kennedy I've been stuck here researching and doing paperwork. Damn apocalypses." She says trying to get the tense Faith to relax a bit.

------

Once they were outside, they stood side by side and Buffy couldn't help but glance at Faith every so now and then. So far she hadn't said another word, and Buffy was eager to give her time, this was obviously difficult for Faith and Buffy really didn't want her to shut down.

That had been what Faith had done ever since she had met her all those years ago in the back alley behind the bronze. Walls, she had thrived on them. She had them all around her, Faith's mind and emotions were hidden from everyone behind these huge unbreakable barriers that she had put up around herself, and most probably with the help of several people that had hurt her along the way.

Buffy hated those nameless people, the people or the events that had made Faith feel like she had to isolate herself, protect herself from the world. The snippets of the Faith she had seen when the walls and barriers had been marginally cracked for a moment in time had been good. She had wanted to get to know Faith.

In the beginning, back in Sunnydale she had felt threatened by Faith's presence at first. She knew what it was like to be a slayer, to have the hardship of shouldering the responsibility. But then that threat turned to resentment when the scooby gang still looked to her for the answers and left Faith to do as she pleased. Now she realised she never should have excluded Faith, it hadn't been her asking her to do extra training, extra research, extra school work.

No, everyone else had expected something of her. Her mother: to be the responsible daughter. Willow: to be the perfect best friend. Giles: to be the best most dedicated slayer. They all expected her to be there twenty-four seven and to save the day. Faith hadn't. She came to Sunnydale with no expectations, well only one. To be herself; the slayer with the double H's. But she had denied it, hid herself. Never had she admitted what slaying did to her. Never.

That must have killed Faith, to come to Sunnydale looking for the only other girl in the world who is meant to understand how being a slayer is and you get her. Telling you constantly that what she is saying makes her uncomfortable, that she still is all by herself, that she doesn't understand. Even if she did.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

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FAITH:

Walking around the grounds of the academy with a silent B next to her gave her time to think about what she was going to say. How did you tell someone that in fact she hadn't been loafing around America for the past five years, but in actual fact she had been soaring through a hell dimension killing all the demons she could find for the past twenty-five? The answer: there was no easy way.

There never was for her, she found herself suddenly silently cursing the PtB. Why was her life so hard? Why did they have to always screw her over? Couldn't they just give her a break, once? In Boston, In Sunnydale, In LA, In the past five years? If she thought about it it was a long time overdue. Things had never been easy she just wished this one thing was. She didn't really care about all the other stuff, that had mostly all been her fault in some way.

Sunnydale had been one mess up after another. Not telling the gang straight away about Kakistos, letting herself screw around, being so irresponsible. Killing Finch, and then that whole deal with the Mayor. She had to be insane. It was all her fault, that night Buffy was finally accepting her so she thought maybe she would finally admit that slaying drove her crazy, that she also had a wild side. That it wasn't just her being a mess up. Then she had to do what she was famous for ruining everything, she killed an innocent. Someone she was meant to protect, her whole calling, what made her special had been disrupted. How could she trust herself to go out there again to slay vamps and not go out of control again? She didn't think she could so she did what she could, she panicked.

She never meant to hurt anyone, but she was lost and her barriers were cracking a little bit each day but no one was there to see her apart from the grimy cracked tiles on the shower wall as she pathetically broke down. Then there was the mayor, treating her so special, like her own father had done before he had enough of her mother and left her with the dragon. So she did anything he said, believed it. Thought she had found someone to actually care about her, but then she found it…the document detailing the partnership between the mayor and Kakistos. How they had plotted to kill the slayer in Boston so that the side of good had even less help, and how it had gone wrong and only her watcher was killed.

Her world had fell apart after reading that, for a while she was numb just playing along until she found a way to fix it. But of course that mucked up as well, but it still ended the way she mostly wanted it to.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Her voice comes thickly through the chilling night air.

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**TBC…**

**FEEDBACK: I much appreciate reviews so…REVIEW, tell me what you thought, do you think this story has the potential to be good? Like is said tell me what you thought. **

**Note; thanks to all of you that have reviewed, I love it when I get feedback from my stories, so thanks I really appreciate it.**


	8. 7

**Disclaimer for whole story: I do not own anything to do with BtVS, not the characters nothing, zilch. So there, this is just a fanfiction. And ain't it obvious I don't own BtVS, otherwise why the hell would the show not still be on. I mean come ON! Ok so officially rambling but anyway…**

**Summary: Set after Chosen, S7 finale. Faith was left out of all the plans and everyone moved on with their lives, many wondered what she did after battling the first but none knew, there were rumours but never true sightings of the dark slayer. Now 5 years later she turns up and with a new big bad God from a hell dimension threatening to take over the world it is just as well. Can the past be kept in the past to ensure there is a future?**

**FEEDBACK: please review and give me feedback, I love it when you do…hint hint…**

**WARNING: the rating has changed to M, I don't think it's really in this chapter but there is a possibility for in later chapters, also pairing is B/F**

**Hey I know it's been a while but I had a bit of writers' block, but here it is. **

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**Cruciatus**

By Audiodream

**7. Explanations**

ANGEL:

He had been sat there ever since Faith had left the office, how could he have not noticed. How could no one have noticed. Faith had been in a hell dimension for twenty five years and no one cared enough to even try to check in with her. Why hadn't he? He just hadn't realised that she might have needed him, although he should have learnt by now that just because someone doesn't ask for help didn't mean they weren't in need of it? Or even not trying to ask? In the past hundred years he had tried hard to look for the helpless, the ones that couldn't always ask for his help and he had failed someone close to him.

None of them had questioned why Faith hadn't been heard of after the battle with the first, even when she seemed to just disappear one day from the hotel with her duffel bag and he hadn't questioned why she hadn't said goodbye.

He read through the prophecy once more and every time he did coupled with what he had learnt of Faith from the past hour and he was sure she played a part in the prophecy.

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BUFFY:

Faith looked like a deer caught in the headlights as she interrupted her thoughts and asked what she wanted to talk about. She really looked terrified which unnerved Buffy because she hardly ever let fear show on her face. But as soon as it was there it was gone. She cleared her throat and looked around the grounds.

"Tomorrow everyone is gonna be getting the skinny on it anyway, but after what us two have been through together I thought I should be the one to tell you." She said and then sighed heavily, as if just that had been hard for her to say. Buffy could say Faith was definitely worrying her. "It's gonna be difficult for me to do this, this sharing thing, you know? So don't go sticking your nose in until the end, otherwise I'll never finish." She said in her typical Faith way, and Buffy was glad for it. Faith not acting like Faith, with her mannerisms would probably be a sign of the end of the world.

"Ok. Just hurry along a little, you're kinda freaking me out of the freaking me out scale here." She said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well you see, this prophecy thing…it's not about you B, some whack job out there decided to lay the pressure on my shoulders this time, which may be a good thing considering yours are so close to the ground already." She joked. Buffy felt shocked, the prophecy wasn't about her and she selfishly felt relieved. She wasn't the chosen one, the one they would all look at for answers any more. This time it would be Faith, she would have to lead them and she would have to decide what was for the best. Buffy felt relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with that again.

Then she looked at Faith's face and realised how terrified the younger slayer was, she hadn't ever had to lead before and she was horrified by the idea. Buffy felt sympathy towards her, she knew what it was like to hold that kind of pressure and it wasn't pleasant. Buffy was shocked to be able to read the girl at all, normally Faith kept her emotions in check, nothing was on display, you had to really search to find it, but now. Here. They were all there. Every tiny bit of pain, dread and fear was there. Buffy's heart went out to her.

"That's not all of it, this hell god demon that's here now, Repartidor, well it's my fault. If it wasn't for me and my whacked ideas he'd still be stuck hittin' the old hell house." Faith laughed bitterly and Buffy didn't understand, how could this all be Faith's fault. "Look if I'm gonna be sayin' all this shit to ya then don't go interruptin' cause then I'll never get the thing out. Ok?" She didn't wait for Buffy's answer. Why was Faith acting so weird? Buffy wondered. "So after the bad ass fight with the first, and you guys all left LA, this guys comes up to me and tells me all this shit about some other dimension, a hell dimension Cruciatus. At first I was like, he's shitting me, he's gotta be. But apparently the Powers that be needed a slayer there to hold off these demon gods being sent by their leader, Crutio, to get into our dimension and the usual crap of destroying the world. Ya know?" She asks again not expecting an answer, when she glances at Buffy all she does is nod, so far following.

Buffy hadn't known what she had been expecting Faith to say, but this was not it. This was never going to be it, and Buffy just had a gut feeling it was going to get worse and worse.

"So I listened waitin' for the other shoe to drop, when I get this vision of this dimension and some god killin' loads of innocent people, so me being me, I went. They opened a portal, taught me a spell that I could use in exactly a year so I could come back." She pauses, and the way she is walking and her stance she is so stressed and finding it difficult telling her this that Buffy stops walking and leads Faith by the hand to a bench in a far corner of the grounds. No one came out here at night, at least no one she knew. She knew they wouldn't be disturbed. Once they had sat down Faith took out a packet of cigarettes and lit one, inhaling deeply before continuing.

"So I go there. And these demons, they're huge, twice as big as the demons roaming around here. Some look kinda human like others not so much. And they're tougher, a lot tougher than you're average street demon. It took a while before I could take them on, but I completed what I was sent there to do, kill a faction of demons that were on my list, in just under a year." She paused, another inhale of her cigarette and her eyes have taken a far away look to them. She's remembering, she's telling it as she remembers it and Buffy fears some of it isn't going to be pleasant. "I got a month to go, until I'm able to work the mojo for the portal to take me home," she snorts, "wherever that is. So I wait it out until the 1st of November, for some reason it would only work on that day, I don't know."

She looks so sad and Buffy can tell she's not really aware of what's going on around them, she's so into the story. Something horrible must of happened to Faith and Buffy feels awful for not noticing something was really wrong before. The excessive training, never taking part with the research, the sleeping habits, the crying in the gym, something was haunting her and Buffy hadn't taken the time to find out. She felt truly horrible.

"I'm sat there, in the friggin' protective circle thing I had to draw out of salt and whatnot. And I'm tellin' you B my ass is killin' me, I've been sat there waitin' for the…the…what-ya-call it to ignite as a sign that the portal and mojo is a go-go." Another pause and drag of the cigarette. "It doesn't happen, the guy had promised that it would happen, a year tops and you'll be out. It didn't happen, I thought ok, I can do this, just another year how bad can it be? Boy was I wrong, next year didn't happen, year after that again nothing. I was beyond pissed when on the third year nothing happened. Imagine my surprise when I spent another twenty five years there." Faith says bitterly and Buffy can tell it's the truth. Why would she lie? She wouldn't. Twenty five years?

"Twen-" Buffy was cut off by a wave of Faith's hand and an annoyed glance.

"Lemme finish, I told you B I'll never finish if you interrupt me now. So where was I? Oh yeah, twenty five years? Yeah so November 1st year 25, like every year that I could make it there, if I wasn't…occupied otherwise, I sat there and started the spell waited for the mojo to ignite, ten minutes before it's meant to start and a demon god attacks. Banged me up in those ten minutes, didn't think I was gonna make it." She pauses, lighting another cigarette, taking a drag then changing her mind and throwing it away. "Then the mojo starts and he's about to kill me, so I jump. Right through the portal, I can't believe it, the pain is unbearable and I'm just hopin' I return here, don't think I could stick it out in another hell dimension. I land right here, in the gardens of your academy. I hadn't ever heard of it, but once I saw you and Angel I was so relieved." Faith said and stopped, her face hidden by her mass of brown curls as she stared at the ground.

"Twenty-five years Faith, twenty-five years." Buffy says not really comprehending it yet but her instincts telling her it was the truth, and she trusted Faith now, even though she had once betrayed them she had long forgiven her. "Nothing that happened was your fault? You didn't bring Repartidor here, you didn't write the prophecy, from what it sounds you were pretty much screwed over by Fate and the powers that be. None of it is your fault Faith." Buffy says, trying to comfort the girl. She was obviously in pain. At that moment Faith looked up and all of her pain was written there in her soulful eyes. She had gone through so much and Buffy didn't understand how she had held it together for so long, now tears had started to leak from Faith's eyes and Buffy could tell that the brunette was desperately trying not to break down in front of her. Buffy did the only thing she could do. Offer her comfort. She wrapped her arms around Faith tightly and waited for her to break, she was so far past breaking point it was amazing she had lasted so long.

Together they stayed there all night with Faith sobbing in Buffy's arms. No one disturbing them and finding a broken brunette slayer.

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FAITH:

She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, or when B had, all she knew was that last night the tears that had been threatening to pour out of her had. She had totally busted last night, shown someone that she could be hurt, broken and she had found that they were still there afterwards.

B had stayed with her all night, even though it must have been extremely uncomfortable both emotionally and physically. She had been surprised this morning when she had woken up on the bench with Buffy besides her asleep as well, she hadn't stirred yet and Faith wasn't sure what to do. Stay and wait for her to wake up, or leave and try to mingle with the younger slayers and maybe get a bite to eat.

She settled for a compromise when she heard her stomach rumble, last night she had forgotten to get anything to eat because she had been so nervous to tell B about the last, five? Twenty five? Years of her life. She stomped up across the lawn and entered silently into the kitchen, she saw no one about. She grabbed two coffee cups and filled them with coffee, then grabbed a couple of donuts. Not the healthiest breakfast's but it would do, she then carefully made her way back to the bench with the goodies, careful not to spill them. She might just die this morning if she didn't get her coffee inside her.

When she got there B was still huddled up, in a probably uncomfortable position, on the bench. Sleeping peacefully. Faith smirked; B looked like an iddle-widdle girl when she slept like that. Not someone who had had to face demons, gods and whatnot on a daily basis to stop the world from ending.

Not wanting to startle the sleeping girl from her dreams, she sat next to her and place the cups of coffee and the plate of donuts on the bench, and gently held a cup of coffee under her nose. For a few moments nothing happened and then B's nose twitched and she started to rouse from her sleep. The smell of coffee waking her up. She slowly opened her eyes and looked dazed and confused for a moment then seemed to remember, and smiled up at Faith. Faith smiled back, not saying anything yet and held the cup of coffee out to the blond slayer. She accepted it in silence, together they ate their donuts and drank their coffee's that was full with a contented understanding they had never had before.

Faith had wanted to get that off of her chest for so long but had been so afraid, now it was out in the open between the two of them she felt a lot better. Hopefully soon the dreams would stop too, then she really could put it to rest. But right now she was happy to just sit there with Buffy, eating breakfast and not worrying about the past. Right now, she was happy, and that was all that mattered.

She couldn't believe how well Buffy had took it, she hadn't asked any questions, although Faith knew they would be coming. She had to have questions after what Faith had told her, and Faith knew she would have to answer them. It might help, it might not. Either way they would have to be asked and answered, and there was nothing she could do about it, ofcourse she could run away but she had spent twenty five years in a hell dimension running from people, why start again? Especially with B. With B, here at the academy it seemed like life could be good, she just hoped she wouldn't somehow spoil it.

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BUFFY:

She couldn't believe what Faith had told her the night before, well she could but it was a lot to process. Faith had been trapped in a hell dimension all this time, only for her it was much longer. Twenty-five years longer. Now that she was back she also had to go through all this horrible stuff with the apocalypse, why couldn't the powers that be give her a break.

Buffy did no something though from the way Faith told it these demon god's were tough, they couldn't allow this Repartidor to open the portal to Cruciatus, the world wouldn't survive all those demons. She believed if they all worked together they could stop this, she had to believe it. It was the only thing to do, giving up wasn't in her blood.

"So what's your plans for today?" Faith asked after finishing their coffee's, it stunned her that after breaking down last night the younger slayer could be all to business again this morning, although Buffy knew that things were different between them now, they were closer. She was thankful for it, hopefully they could get back what they had had for those few days back in Sunnydale before the accident with the deputy mayor. That had been the one time when she had felt completely understood by another human being, Buffy thought that that was mostly because Faith was a slayer like herself, although she had never had that connection with Kendra.

"I was thinking about going shopping, of course I was also gonna help with research, sometime today….maybe." She said then stopped babbling and looked at Faith with a smile. "Hey want to go shopping with me at the mall, it'll be fun besides we can tell the gang that we are going out scouting for informants? Then they won't think we're bunking." Buffy asked with a smile, she really wanted to spend the day with the brunette slayer, last night had been heavy and Faith had shared a lot with her, it would be fun to spend a light day out with her.

--

She was in stitches, she had spent the whole day with Faith and now it was starting to get dark again. Faith had said something that she was sure was the most hilarious thing in the world, only at this moment she couldn't quite remember what that was…something to do with a rabbit? Maybe, honestly she had no idea.

They were both quite drunk by now, after shopping at the mall and buying nothing at all they had gone to club like back in the day, before everything with the mayor. After four hours of dancing and letting go they had wound up where they were now. Walking on the pier on the way to the academy as they were a little over the limit to drive home.

Today Buffy had had a lot of fun, more fun than she had had in years, and it was because of Faith. She had been making jokes and remarks all day that just left her in stitches. They stumbled along the walk, Faith and her were both a little buzzed from the evening. Something made them both stop laughing and slowly they both grew quiet, they were both leaning on the railing over looking the water and the setting sun. It looked amazing. The array of oranges, yellows and reds mixing together into one magnificent image, an image many had tried to copy, based life's works on. Many a-masterpiece's had been crafter, drawn, painted from a single image. An image recreated slightly differently each day, each one unique and just as beautiful as the one before. And in that one single moment everything made sense to her. All the worry and all the pain from the past twelve years of being a slayer was forgotten. There on the pier stood two young women, and whilst staring and admiring the beauty of the natural order of things their hands intertwined together as they stood side-by-side, as if it had meant to be that way all along. When they had been fighting, hurting.

Now they stood together on the pier in San Francisco in awe at the beauty of the setting globe, both aware of the moment that seemed to be growing between them. Both aware of their intertwined fingers, of the warmth they were sharing through their hands. Both still buzzed from the days events.

Buffy couldn't help but think of the beauty of this moment, that they were both there to enjoy it. The Sun seeming to be a metaphor for the bad feelings for one another that had been put to bed earlier. Now they were together again, slayers together, like it was meant to be.

She also couldn't help to think about how romantic this situation was, how the sun seemed to make Faith glow, how their intertwined hands seemed to spark life in her. She tried to tell herself that the shivers running up and down her spine had everything to do with the fact that she wasn't wearing a jumper and nothing to do with the woman next to her, but the buzzed part of her brain was asking her why was she denying the nature of the feelings humming through her body? Why she was being silly enough to think that on a Californian Summer's evening she would be cold? Why she was trying to ignore the feelings ignited in her as Faith absently made patterns on her skin with her thumb as their fingers wrapped around each other.

She found herself staring at the slender neck of the woman next to her, watching how the collar bone rose and fell with each breath the brunette took, how her lips were parted slightly so she could take in and breath out her air. Then perhaps from the drink she had consumed earlier, or from the unadulterated lust she did the unimaginable and leant forwards and pressed her lips to the brunettes and kissed her. Not thinking about the consequences, or the things that it might lead to. Just the thought brought butterflies to her stomach.

The kiss was one sided for a long moment, the brunette not responding at all, not letting go of her hand, not moving away but most importantly not kissing. The kiss brought Buffy back to sober and she was terrified at her own actions. She was stood there with her lips gently pressing to Faith's. She knew she could blame it on the drink or the moment but really she knew it had been growing to this moment all day, since Faith had confessed to her yesterday and opened up to her in a way she never had before.

Buffy stood there with her lips against Faith's gently for a few more moments and then gave up on hope of escaping the embarrassment that was about to follow. Giving up that Faith maybe felt something like she had been beginning to for the whole day, really ever since high school. She pulled back already her lips had left Faith's and she was starting of thinking of forming a sentence when anything she was going to say was cut off with a moan from her own throat as Faith caught her bottom lip between hers and sucked on it gently. They spent the next few minutes kissing, gently and tenderly. Buffy was wary and cautious of her hands, she made sure she wasn't touching the other girl apart from holding her hand and of course their lips. So far no tongue had even been brought into the conversation, the closest they came to it was when Faith and sucked and nibbled on her lower lip sending shivers down her spine and making her knees weak. So far no tongue and hers throbbed for attention, she wanted to explore the other girls mouth with her own and the need was growing. So far it had been gentle and light teasing with each others mouths, now it was turning frustrating and although still sweet and caring she wanted, no needed, more.

With a growl she hadn't known she could make from deep within her throat she placed her other hand on the brunettes hip and pushed back until she was resting against the railing and she stepped right up to her, pressing herself into the other girl. Still their lips remained their gentle teasing, but their hands started a game of their own. Light touches and strokes, a hand here and new exploration of a curve she had just found over the top of her t-shirt. Buffy liked this game a lot more. Their hands were no longer intertwined but now they were pressed so close that they were even closer.

Light touches turned into heavy groping and the teasing with the lips stopped to be replaced with passionate long kisses. It heated up even more when Faith flicked her tongue out over her top lip sending shivers down her spine and causing her to open her mouth for the brunettes tongue. Their tongues duelled it out and there was nothing tender about it. It was fuelled by pure lust and passion. The temperature was past boiling point but neither of them were bothered. Buffy even found herself lost in the kiss that she was almost not aware that there were no people around. Almost, she was still a little self conscious.

The sensations that were going through her body due to the kiss were amazing, like nothing she had ever felt before. She pressed herself closer still to the brunette, their legs got tangled and she let out a cross between a sigh and a moan at the same time Faith did when her thigh slid between the brunette's legs, essentially each others thigh's applied pressure to their burning core's. Buffy knew if they didn't get out of their quickly someone would find them going at it on the pier, so she pulled back quickly and a bit of spittle connected their mouths then fell to Faith's where Buffy leant in and kissed it away. There eyes connected and Buffy in that split second could see all what the brunette was thinking and feeling. She saw the lust in her dark eyes, and the happiness, but also the fear and uncertainty of what was going to happen. So to assure her she held out her hand with a great big smile and with a second hesitation Faith took it and smiled back.

Together they walked back to the academy, hand in hand, together.

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**TBC…**

**FEEDBACK: I much appreciate reviews so…REVIEW, tell me what you thought, do you think this story has the potential to be good? Like is said tell me what you thought. **

**Note; thanks to all of you that have reviewed, I love it when I get feedback from my stories, so thanks I really appreciate it.**


	9. 8

**FEEDBACK: please review and give me feedback, I love it when you do…hint hint…**

**WARNING: the rating has changed to M, I don't think it's really in this chapter but there is a possibility for in later chapters, also pairing is B/F**

**Hey I know it's been a while but I had a bit of writers' block, but here it is. **

**A.N I know this is a short chapter and I'm hoping to put a longer one up soon, I just wanted to put this up tonight, so here it is…**

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**Cruciatus**

By Audiodream

**8. Searching for Ones self**

FAITH:

That night when they had gotten back to the academy, they went their separate ways. Faith couldn't believe what happened out on the pier, Buffy had kissed her. It was probably the drink, she tried to tell herself, but after what they had been through together the day before she knew she was trying to kid her self.

Back in Sunnydale when B had been in high school, before all the stuff with the major there had always been a connection between them and Faith had always been slightly attracted to the fairer slayer. It had been strange to want to trust someone for Faith because she had been so used to depending on herself for so many years.

Faith tried so hard not to let those feelings flood back in after the kiss on the pier, for a while she had even denied B of kissing her back. But then she asked herself why, why was she holding back. B obviously, at that moment, needed that closeness so why couldn't she need to feel it too? And then she had given in and it had been the most gentle, most passionate, most amazing feeling she had ever experienced.

It was so amazing in fact that at the moment she couldn't sleep, the only thing she kept thinking about was that kiss. How their bodies had felt against each other. How her desire had nearly completely taken over her, how she had thought that if they hadn't stopped when they had they would have gone much further together their on that pier. Another reason why she couldn't sleep was because she was afraid to, if she went to sleep then her nightmares would find her and she would be terrified. She had gotten over the denial that nothing scared her a long time ago.

With a final sigh she flipped the thin sheets off of her body and jumped out of bed, there was no way she was going to sleep and now it wasn't just because of the dreams, now it was because of the confusion she felt about the blond. Why had B kissed her? Had it been because she was drunk? Was she just having a serious case of the H's? Why? She knew what could help clear her mind, even if just for a second, punching on a punching bag down in the gym. Might even tire her out so she wouldn't dream of other times, in other places which she wished could be kept there.

It astounded her how big the San Francisco Academy was, it was huge. It fit loads of slayers in and there were a load of empty rooms in case they had new arrivals. The first few weeks of her stay and she had gotten lost quite a few times. Now though she knew exactly where she was going. The way to the gym had been one of the first routes she had memorised.

When she got there though tonight, unlike all the others, it wasn't empty. She hadn't seen the occupant yet but Faith knew she was here. She could tell, all those slayer tingles she got whenever she got near the blond slayer, were pulsing through her body. It wasn't like the slayer sense she got with the vamps, with them it was exhilarating and her body was getting ready for a battle. With these it felt more peaceful, more natural, like everything in her was screaming for balance.

She rounded the divide and saw the slayer wailing on a punch bag, every muscle in her was tight and she was really letting it go on the punch bag. Without any words being exchanged Faith knew exactly how B was feeling, it was a restless feeling that she herself got after a great slay or an encounter like they had had earlier on the pier. Faith guessed that the blond had been doing exactly what she had been doing, thinking and re-thinking things over and over until she drove herself into a hysteria that she couldn't sleep. She even probably thought the same thing would cure her.

Suddenly the blond slayer stopped punching the bag with a final high kick and turned around and as soon as her eyes found her their eyes connected. And everything that had been why's and what if's were gone from both of their minds. After a few moments of staring attentively at each other they smiled, just a small smile but it meant everything.

"Couldn't sleep, you too huh?" Buffy spoke first. Faith just nodded not sure what to say. Buffy regarded her for a few moments as if silently asking her something. It wasn't awkward…just peaceful. After a few moments B stopped what she was doing and unwrapped her hands, all the while Faith just stood there watching the blond slayers movements. Finally after what seemed like a long time to Faith the B moved towards her and stopped an inch or two away from her and looked her right in her deep brown eyes. The slight light that was in the room was reflecting off of the greeny hazel colour of the shorter girl. Buffy grabbed the younger girls hand and smiled. "Come on, I'm tired." She said and then without any further communication they both started walking. Leaving behind the frustration in the gym.

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BUFFY:

That night after they had gotten home she had been worried and had been thinking too much so had walked to the gym to take out her frustrations out on a punch bag. It wasn't just the issue of Faith and the kissing, but also the whole Cruciatus apocalypse thing. None of it was resolved. And it was causing her to worry. She couldn't sleep because of it.

The punch bag did nothing to relieve her of her stress though, only when she felt the slight tingles of her senses telling her Faith was near had that frustration started to dissipate. Then when she turned and looked at the brunette slayer it was as if it was never there in the first place, yes it was still in her mind, just not at the foreground. All the questions she had been asking herself after kissing Faith had just floated away. It was as if the doe colour of Faith's eyes were pools that held all the answers to the questions she had been asking herself.

She couldn't tear her eyes away and suddenly she felt so at peace that she felt her body aching for sleep, and warmth. She wondered how one look at this woman and she could feel completely better. And in that moment she knew why she had kissed Faith earlier. It wasn't just a moment, it was something much deeper. It was a moment that would probably affect the rest of her life depending on what she did with it and the feelings coursing through her body. As she busied herself with her hands wraps she could feel Faith's eyes on her and she felt safe and cared for in a way she hadn't for years, not since being the slayer.

She carefully grabbed Faiths hands and told her to follow her and together they walked to her bedroom. She opened the door and pulled an unresisting Faith inside with her. Once they were in there, Buffy kept the lights off and she walked over to the left side of the double bed and crawled under the thin sheets and waited for Faith to do the same. After a few seconds the brunette made her way over to the opposite side of the bed. Faith's eyes captured hers and asked her a question, not needing a vocal reply the brunette climbed under the covers next to her and for a few moments there was an awkward distance between them and neither of them knew how they had gotten there in bed together or what to do next. Then just as Buffy was about to ask if Faith was asleep or if she was ok the brunette slayer crawled across the space separating them and laid herself in the middle of the bed and then pulled Buffy towards her. Faith wrapped her strong arms around her and she did the same around the waist of the taller woman. Her head rested on the brunettes shoulder.

They were holding onto each other tightly and Buffy had never felt to content in her whole life, here she was in an embrace with a girl she had once hated. Now she held onto her for dear life afraid that something might ruin this moment. As if sensing her internal debate the brunette tilted her head down and kissed the top of her head. Buffy smiled and sighed, and then finally the both of them found the sleep, peace and warmth they had both been searching for.

Together.

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**TBC…**

**FEEDBACK: I much appreciate reviews so…REVIEW, tell me what you thought! Like is said tell me what you thought. **

**Note; thanks to all of you that have reviewed, I love it when I get feedback from my stories, so thanks I really appreciate it.**


	10. 9

**FEEDBACK: please review and give me feedback, I love it when you do…hint hint…**

**WARNING: the rating has changed to M, I don't think it's really in this chapter but there is a possibility for in later chapters, also pairing is B/F**

**Hey I know it's been a while but I had a bit of writers' block, but here it is. **

**A.N I know this is a short chapter and I'm hoping to put a longer one up soon, I just wanted to put this up tonight, so here it is…**

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**Cruciatus**

By Audiodream

**9. Apocalypses**

BUFFY:

She had woken up about an hour ago and she could tell that Faith had done the same. Still both of them lay perfectly content in each others arms but Buffy could almost _feel_ Faith's thoughts turning sour and more depressing as the seconds ticked by and the sun rose fully into the blue canvas.

"What ya thinkin' bout?" She finally broke the silence with a question she hoped she had masked to sound like a flippant comment. For several moments after the silence remained and the brunette gave no indication of being awake or of hearing the comment from the blond.

"How everyone's gonna ask a bunch of questions once A tells 'em all." Faith answered honestly and for that Buffy was grateful. She was really hoping this relationship worked but if Faith couldn't open up to her and be honest then she knew it wouldn't. Buffy turned around in Faith's arms so they were facing each other and Buffy's breath hitched in her throat at the sight of her counterpart. She truly was beautiful in the morning, with the sun's light licking at her face and her deep brown orbs glazy with sleep. "Might have already. Probably over tryin' to knock down my door as we speak." Faith told her whilst absently playing with a few strands of Buffy's blond hair. Buffy could see how much that scared the younger girl. She smiled reassuringly and kissed her on the nose tenderly then laid back down, half on top of Faith with her head resting on her shoulder whilst Faith idly played with her hair.

"I don't think he would have told them if you weren't present. He probably waited knowing Angel. And yes, there will be questions but if you want not everybody has to be present I'm sure if it's just you, Giles and Angel then it will be fine." Buffy tried to reassure her and lifted her head up to look at Faith. Faith smiled at her and kissed her forehead gently then started getting up.

"Well I'm gonna go back to my room to shower and then go about getting me some breakfast." Faith said getting up and heading to the door, just as she was about to open it she paused and turned around. "Oh, and thanks for yesterday and last night, I had fun. I'm kinda thinkin' we might need to talk later or something, but I just wanted you to know, I appreciate it." She said and then left.

Buffy smiled to herself in an empty room, and lay back down. Last night she had slept better than she had done in a long time, and she had an idea of why that was: Faith. She had slept close to Faith and it had been fantastic and she had been happy. She wondered on that for a moment, when had she started to feel happy when she was around the younger slayer. In Sunnydale they had started to be able to put up with each others presence, but then in LA they had basically ignored each others existence again. Now Buffy already felt a little down because they couldn't spend all day together again, they couldn't just sit around watching movies, going shopping and chatting about everything and absolutely nothing again. They had work to do, another apocalypse to avert. And it was going to be hard on all of them. Especially Faith.

There in that moment, in her bedroom at six in the morning, wearing her pink pyjama's she made a promise to herself. That during the next few weeks, whatever this apocalypse brought about she would support Faith and make sure she was ok. She would get to know the girl properly, unlike the way they had tried to become friends through their slaying all those years ago when Faith had first turned up in Sunny hell.

FAITH:

For the last three hours she had been following blindly a group of three slayers as they did their patrol. Today had been quite easy considering. Angel had explained to Giles what had happened and he had thought it best not to tell anyone else as of yet. Not even Willow and Kennedy. So since then Faith had been hanging about all day waiting for nothing.

Her nerves were all frazzled, the slayer in her could feel something coming and whatever it was…well a part of her was hoping she never had to face. Whatever was coming was going to be big. It was going to be hard to beat. And it was going to be coming after her. That's all she knew. She was scared out of her wits.

She had been fighting demons and gods from cruciatus for years now, but this was all different. This was going to be harder. Because before? Well compared to what she felt was coming was a piece of cake. Ok so maybe not a piece of cake….a piece of burnt, dry, filled with glass shards and nails cake…but still cake.

Now she had everything to lose: there was the newer and less experienced slayers, there was the Scoobs, there was Angel….and there was B.

She didn't quite know what was going on with her and B, but whatever it was at the moment it was her beacon of light. The only thing to look forward to at the moment. Of course she was happy she was out of the hell dimension but sometimes, even if for only a small millisecond of her day, she wished she was back there. Where she hadn't brought back any evil demon god whose intent was to destroy her, people she cared about and then go on to destroy mankind as they knew it.

Tonight, she and the two newer slayers (Lillian and Kate), were set the task of patrolling quadrant four of the city. It was a large quadrant, fairly decent amount of night time activity apparently. To make patrolling easier the Academy had split the city up into quadrants, 1 through 12, and groups of four or five would go out each night and patrol. Looking for the monsters under your bed, or this case right under everybody's noses. If they just looked hard enough.

So far though, not a lot of commotion. She had yet to stake a new-be. Quadrant four covered the docks, some of the club scene in this part of the city, and even some of the outskirts of town. Where there were lots of barns and fields, just waiting to be inhabited by a nest of vamps. That's where they were walking now, towards a large barn that had a light on inside.

The barn itself looked old; the large blue wooden doors were slightly open. The handles were rusting off. The walls themselves were full of crevices and had a worn textured surface due to weathering and aging. The roof, with its mix'n'match set of tiles looked as if it had been neglected for sometime; in contrast to the surrounding field. Where the nourished grass had been cut recently. Faith didn't much care for the barn, it reminded her of a barn her and her brother had once found on the rare occasion when they had gone on vacation. Later they had found out that it was a site where a family of four had perished in a barn murder. That didn't exactly help her shift the foreboding feeling she had been carrying around, especially since it was getting a lot worse the nearer they got to the barn.

Before she could even comment on anything, the rickety barn doors flew off of their worn hinges and crashed with a large resounding thud on the shaven earth. Out charged the one Faith had been searching for, but wished she had never found.

He stood tall, she was sure she had never met him during her stay in Cruciatus. If she had she was sure she would have remembered the unmistakable colour of his eyes. Blue, yet grey and they seemed to glow in the shine of the moon. Most of the gods/demons whatever you wanted to call them back in Cruciatus had dark black eyes that bore into you and made you feel as if you were suffocating on your own soul. She had soon realised to get over that though, as it gave her nothing but injuries.

Her body was ready for a fight, she had fought demons and gods like him before, and yet she new he was going to be tough, like many of the others. But what concerned her was the two girls with her, Lillian and Kate; they hadn't spent years practising this, learning what your punishment was for failure. Not learning it was better to train your body until you no longer could feel the aches and pains than to spend the next year possibly years in a dungeon being tortured by Crutio and his minions. They didn't know what his limits might be, all they had to go on was the myths, the legends, and they were scarce.

She ran in front of the two, raised her weapon. An imitation of the scythe they had found in Sunnydale during the fight with the first. She expected him to attack her, she was in front and the one he was talking loudly about wanting to kill. Instead, surprising her and her companions, he leaped into the air, out of her range and landed behind them. Nearest to Lillian, he picked her up with such speed that Lillian and Kate had never seen someone possess before and broke her neck. She fell to the floor, on the crisp cut grass, limp and dead, like the strands of grass surrounding them that had been cut off recently.

Repartidor never had a chance to attack Kate because this time Faith was ready, and she wasn't about to let him kill either of them without a fight. In matching speed she grasped the handle of her scythe and hit out with it with grace that other slayers even had trouble accomplishing.

KATE:

Kate, frozen with fear, stood still and crept backwards until she was out of the fight. She watched, unable to move, to join in with the battle between the two warriors, or to run to maybe get help. Although she knew that wasn't going to happen, they were out on the outskirts of quadrant four, where they hardly ever patrolled.

The only reason they were this far out tonight was because she and Lillian had wanted to find some action for Faith and try to impress her with their skills. Now that she saw the elder slayer in action she knew they would not have succeeded, for they didn't even compare. She hadn't ever seen anyone else fight with such skill, strength, speed and precision. She was sure that Buffy might give a good game but in the end the winner would be clear.

Repartidor kept coming at Faith with his razor sharp swords, of which he had two, and she kept blocking and attacking with matching vigour. All that Kate could hear was the deep metallic clanging that seemed to surround them, and make her friends death even more real. Faith and Repartidor kept at it for what seemed forever, all the while she was stuck there on the spot, unable to do anything. Then Faith managed to disarm her opponent, and with a roar the demon kicked the scythe out of her hand. Now it was hand to hand. Knuckles bled, bodies went flying, but they kept coming back to the centre of the field, where the match kept on with energy that few demons and slayers held. The battle invoked something inside Kate and made her feel proud of what she was, a slayer. A girl who was no longer alone but fought for humanity. They fought for what was good, what was right. The Light to the dark.

It seemed like hours had passed and so far not much trauma, no one side was better off than the other. The demon, that looked chillingly human, bled from various cuts and bruises on his face, and now bare torso from where he had lost his shirt. Faith's knuckles were split open from hitting so hard and she was also covered in welts and cuts. Neither was winning nor losing, it was a stalemate.  
Then out of nowhere the demon grabbed a dagger and hurled it at Faith, aiming right for her heart, she tried to block and dodge it but in the end it came at her with too much speed and pierced her in the abdomen. She grunted and fell to one knee, the demon flung himself at her and knocked her to the ground, truly it was unfair. He attacked her face with cement like fists; she was now covered in even more welts and cuts. Kate stood watching, unable to move for her own fear. Unable to protest but within her mind.

Just when Kate had all but lost her hope that something could be done for her and for Faith, Faith snapped her legs from under him and kicked him through the air. He went flying into the old rickety barn and the whole thing crashed down on top of him. He wouldn't be getting up soon, and dust lifted into the atmosphere of the field. He wasn't dead, she could still sense his darkness, but he wasn't an immediate threat.

She was broke out of her fear by the sight of Faith barely standing and looking at her with sadness, pain and….she couldn't quite place it. Her right hand clutching her wound where she had now removed the dagger with a yell into the dark night. With a small sad sarcastic smile Faith said five fantastic words before drifting into unconsciousness.

"Let's get out of here." And with that slumped to the ground. Kate quickly ran forward to the prone body of the warrior and lifted her up. She got out of there quick, trying to make it as painless for the dark haired woman as possible, whilst trying to get back to the academy quickly in fear of the demon catching up with her.

BUFFY:

In the middle of her patrol a sense of foreboding had washed over her and she hadn't been able to get rid of it. She and four other slayers were patrolling quadrant three, the busiest of all twelve quadrants. Everything they had come about this evening had been easy to kill, so it wasn't that.

She called their patrol short, anxious to get back to the academy and check to make sure it was secure and safe. As soon as they stepped inside the grounds she could tell something was wrong. All other patrols had been called short as well, slayers from all twelve quadrants making their way back according to the radio she carried. No one said why, just that it was expected and no one was to go against their wishes. Also, she could feel the hum of a freshly painted up protection spell thanks to Willow all around the grounds. Something was definitely up. She walked quickly to the building, sure that what ever was on the other side of that door would be trouble.

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**TBC…**

**Review, and i hope to update soon...**


	11. 10

**FEEDBACK: please review and give me feedback, I love it when you do…hint hint…**

**WARNING: the rating has changed to M, I don't think it's really in this chapter but there is a possibility for in later chapters, also pairing is B/F**

**Hey I know it's been a while but I had a bit of writers' block, but here it is. **

**A.N I know this is a short chapter and I'm hoping to put a longer one up soon, I just wanted to put this up tonight, so here it is…**

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**Cruciatus**

By Audiodream

**10. Hanging On**

FAITH FLASHBACK:

_She had been in the dungeons of Crutio's castle for about three years, she estimated. Everyday was pure torture, literally. She was only left alone to sleep for four hours a day. Then for the rest of the day Crutio either beat her into oblivion or he got some of his 'minions' to do it for him. _

_She hated it. She felt helpless. She felt weak. She felt like a failure and she knew one day she might not come back from one of the beatings. It hurt, physically and emotionally, although she tried to hide that as much as she could from Crutio and her tormentors. Although with the amount of pain she usually was in it was hard. _

_Today, she guessed she had been here for over three years and it was killing her that she had spent so long at his mercy. No one knew what she was going through here, not even him: Crutio. Her tormentor. He couldn't know how much it hurt to be a slayer and not be able to defeat what she was chosen to destroy. It hurt and she knew there truly was only one person who understood that feeling: Buffy. _

_She knew what it was like to be chosen, and to feel the absolute failure and disappointment in your self when you couldn't cut it at defeating the enemy. Although, in the end B always managed to come through. And it was with that thought that she gained hope again. She learned to reserve her strength, her energy. Until one day, she'd be alive again. She'd be free. _

END FLASHBACK

GILES:

Ever since he had learned the truth of Faith's whereabouts he had looked at the young woman with more respect than ever before. It sounded like she had headed to Cruciatus under the belief that she was saving them, and mainly Buffy, from a battle and the pain that comes with that.

And when Kate ran through those doors carrying the fragile body within her arms, his heart went out to her. She was obviously in pain; she was covered in blood from various cuts and bruises. Without waiting for an explanation, he called in Willow and took Faith out of the young slayers arms and started carrying her carefully towards the trauma room.

Once there Faith momentarily stirred, her eyes fluttered open and he could see her deep seeded pain in her brown orbs. She started to panic, and tried to sit up. Hurting her in the process.

"Where's Kate? Oh god Giles I tried to stop him but he was too fast. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She said looked desperately around the room for Kate. He had no idea what she was talking about, and before he could ask Kate walked over towards Faith and took her hand in her own for comfort and made soothing sounds to calm her. Surprisingly it worked.

"Faith, listen to me. You saved my life. There's nothing to be sorry for, it wasn't your fault. It was that god damn demon Repartidor. He killed Lillian, not you. You tried to save her. Now just concentrate on getting better." She smiled, kissed the back of Faith's hand and let go. "I can't go having you dying on me, what would that do to my conscience?" Kate joked as Faith once again fell into blackness, the pain too much as well as the exhaustion.

He stood back a few metres, letting the trained SITs and members of staff treat her injuries. He watched as the discarded of her top to reveal a black and blue torso, lots of possible fractured ribs and a deep wound in her abdomen; which was directly next to a diagonal scar that was already there. And he suspected it was the one that Buffy had given her.

He looked from Faith to the SIT Kate and was almost dumbfounded at the contrast of their injuries. Whilst Faith had extensive ones Kate had none. Kate looked shell shocked and upset.

"Kate? What happened out there?" he asked gently, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She started telling him what happened, almost in a dream state.

"We started off a normal patrol, then Lillian wanted to show off to Faith, impress her but we hadn't found any action yet so she suggested going to the outskirts of the city, right near the end of quadrant four. So we went. And it cost us." She paused. Taking in a deep shaky breath. "We got closer to an old barn, in the middle of no where and this feeling of dread washed over all of us. Faith jumped in front of us when he came running out of the barn. She was trying to protect us, make him attack her. That's what we all expected, but he didn't. He jumped over all of us and before anything could happen he broke Lillian's neck. No one could have done anything. She was dead. Faith then attacked him. They went at it and I just watched. I watched every blow that landed on her. I was just so frickin' scared. I froze." She had started crying now, obviously blaming herself.

"Hey, don't cry Kate. It wasn't your fault; you got her home that's the main thing. What about the demon, is he alive?" He asked gently, trying to soothe her. She nodded, and he knew as silly as it had been he had hoped that Faith had managed to kill their enemy.

"Yes, and he's going to be mighty pissed when he wakes up. After he stabbed Faith she kicked him into the barn, it collapsed on him. He stayed down, under the rubble. I know he's alive, I could sense it." She was sobbing now, watching as they worked on Faith. He pulled her into his arms, trying to offer her a little comfort. Kate had been with them in Sunnydale, so she had seen death and hurt before, but this was proving to be hard on her. He told Katherine to call all the patrols in. He didn't want anyone else out there with the possibility that Repartidor was looking for revenge.

BUFFY:

As she walked through the door, she could see a bustle of activity, slayers, trainers and staff was rushing about everywhere. Some on phone's to patrols, others signing everybody in. Making sure everyone was getting home alright. Her stomach hurt with nervousness. This was protocol for if someone came in seriously hurt, or someone had been killed and the monster was still out their looking for blood of their side. This was full panic mode that could only be set off by herself, Angel, Willow and Giles. And if they had set it off she knew it was serious.

She told the four slayers she was with to sign in and she headed towards the library, finding neither Willow nor Giles there she started towards the trauma rooms. Praying against everything that no one was hurt, or worse.

As she got closer it looked like her prayers were for nothing, she could see Willow stood there looking worried. Giles the same, whilst consoling some slayer she couldn't see the face off at the moment. She got closer and Willow saw her and ran over to her and hugged her. Who was it? It was all she wanted to know at the moment. She hugged Willow back and then released her and walked towards the room. After entering her legs nearly gave way as she saw who was laying there and how hurt she was.

Faith, the woman she had been in bed with this morning, promising to herself to get to know better was lying their defenceless and battered. She was black and blue, bloody and unconscious. The staff worked on her, stopping the bleeding from what looked like a stab wound and others were tending to the less serious abrasions covering her body. Buffy felt dread, grief, pain, anger….an array of different emotions fly through her and reside in the pit of her stomach making her feel sick. Her hand flew up to her mouth and tears started to form in her eyes.

"Oh God!" She exclaimed as she moved towards the prone body of the younger brunette woman. She took her bandaged hand in her own. "What happened to her?" She croaked out whilst staring at her face willing her to wake up. It was Giles that answered her.

"Her and her group ran into Repartidor in quadrant four. They were on the outskirts alone. He attacked and killed Lillian. Then he and Faith battled. From what I hear they were both seriously injured during the fight, although neither killed. The only casualty was poor Lillian." He said in a tone that showed he was also upset.

"I'm going out there, on my own. I'm going to find him and I'm going to make him pay." She said and let go of Faith's hand and started for the door. She was so going to make him hurt for this.

"Buffy, you can't. Tonight he's killed a slayer and injured another. You mustn't go out there. You'll be killed." Giles said worry evident in his voice he had now released the girl, it was Kate, and had taken a step towards her.

"You said he and Faith battled and she injured him as badly. Me and Faith have sparred, I can take her. That means I can take him. He has to pay for what he's done Giles." Buffy said, her tone tinged with sadness. To her surprise it wasn't Giles or Willow that spoke up next.

"No, you can't do that. We need a leader, and that's you. We can't do this on our own. And Faith? I watched them fight Buffy; she's way stronger, and faster than you. Wherever she's been, whatever she's been doing she's been training and training hard. I could hardly keep up watching them it was so fast. And the precision, it's something we can never even hope to accomplish. She was the best fighter I've ever seen and if you've been beating her whilst sparring? It's 'cause she lets you win." And with that Kate left the room, tears flowing down her face. Her words stung Buffy and she turned and walked back towards Faith. She had been letting her win? If she wasn't sure before, she sure as hell was now. She loved Faith.

She was in love with Faith. And couldn't wait until she opened her deep dark eyes so that she could tell her.

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**TBC…**

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**Note; thanks to all of you that have reviewed, I love it when I get feedback from my stories, so thanks I really appreciate it.**


	12. 11

**FEEDBACK: please review and give me feedback, I love it when you do…hint hint…**

**WARNING: the rating has changed to M, also pairing is B/F**

**Sorry for the long wait I've had a real case of writers block but now I hope to get an update up at least once a week! So yay! Anyway enjoy and please please review! I love to know what you guys think…helps me write more :): ) **

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**Cruciatus**

By Audiodream

**11. Protection**

**REPARTIDOR:**

His head felt like someone was continuously hitting him over the head with a heavy saucepan. He had concussion and he was pissed. Back home, in Cruciatus he had yet to be beaten by anyone who wasn't Crutio. Crutio was the strongest demon god he had ever met and that was why he was in charge.

Crutio had given him a job to do, and he'd be damned if he was going to let a little girl prevent him from completing it. He would crush her, and anyone that sided with her.

She was injured, he remembered slicing through her flesh with his dagger, he remembered the satisfaction he got from it. Before he had gone barrelling into the barn. Right now she was weak, and he was in the position to take full advantage of that. And he knew just where she was going to be.

**FAITH:**

Her whole body felt like it was burning, everything was hurting. Her sides, her arms, her legs, and every other muscle in her body. She knew she had to get up. She didn't know why but her senses were screaming at her to get up and do something, anything. Deep down in the depths of her soul she knew something terrible was about to happen and she wasn't trying to prevent it.

Her eyes stung as she peered through lidded eyes, her surroundings coming into view: the tasteless tiles, the worn walls it was all so unfamiliar and yet she knew exactly where she was; and suddenly everything made sense.

It all came rushing back, the patrol, the fight…and oh god Lillian's death. She had to get up, she had to stop him. If she knew him like she thought she did he'd be heading here, getting to the opposition whilst they were still weak. Whilst she was still weak.

Trying to sit up, and the pain was excruciating, she fell back onto the bed with a soft thump that seemed to jar every injury on her sore body. She gritted her teeth and tried again.

"Come on…you've done this thousands of time…come on!" She spoke through gritted teeth frustrated with her weak state. She laid back and closed her eyes. She concentrated on every thing Repartidor had done to her, to those she cared about. She concentrated on every little detail of her time spent in Cruciatus. Clenching her fists, blocking out the pain, she sat up and quickly removed the IV. Glancing around she saw a fresh set of clothes and quickly changed into them. She then walked over to the window, it still hurt to move but over the years she had become accustomed to ignoring the pain; to survive that is. It was light out, about midday, she knew he wouldn't attack until it was dark so they had some time left. She knew if she was going to be any help at all she had to collect herself before she left this room, closing her eyes and sighing she cleared her mind.

When she opened them the determination shone through and she strode confidently out of the room. If they knew how she was really feeling they wouldn't let her fight, and then they'd lose.

--

She found them in the library, researching like usual. Some of them were reading through books, others were searching on the net and a few were discussing battle plans. It seemed everyone was getting ready for war, good thing too as they were most likely going to get one. Bitesize was the first one to notice her.

"Faith!"

**BUFFY:**

Buffy was so worried about everything. They had another apocalypse looming heavily over their heads and then there was Faith. Faith who had yet to wake up. Ever since the doctor had told her it was best to leave Faith to rest and wake up on her own time, she had been here. In the library pretending to read a book, it was a book of fairytales, no way she was missing anything important to do with Cruciatus in here. She was surprised no one had noticed yet, although they all seemed to be busy actually researching.

"Faith!"

When she heard her sisters yell of surprise she turned to the doorway and surely enough there was the brunette beauty standing on her feet and wearing a mask of determination and confidence. And that was what it was, she realised now, although she was not going to call her on it. If Faith felt she was alright to be in this fight then Buffy believed her. She'd just have to keep a close eye on her and make sure she was safe. Giving her an excuse to be near Faith. She got up and hugged Faith, needing to reassure herself that she was alright.

A hug that didn't nearly last long enough, as Faith, Angel and Giles started talking about planning a counter attack to the attack Repartidor was most likely planning on the academy tonight. Normally she would be right there with them, but after nearly losing Faith, she just wanted to watch her talk, and breath and do all the things she would do when everything was perfectly normal…if only it was.

**--**

It was starting to get dark now, the blue canvas now a baby milk colour mixing in the with brilliant pink haze the setting sun created. She had left the library and come up onto the roof to watch the sun set, almost as if it was a count down until Repartidor would make his move. She was nervous, she didn't know exactly where she stood with Faith but she didn't want to lose what they had going at the moment, even if it turned out to just be friendship.

Her heart was thundering in her chest, threatening to break free. Her breath had started to accelerate as it did only when she was excited. Her skin tingled in anticipation; and she knew exactly what that all meant. Faith was near.

Gentle hands tapped her shoulder gaining her attention even though she already held it. She turned around gazing into the dark depths of Faith's eyes, and she knew everything would turn out alright. All her nervousness was replaced with confidence, her anxiety with determination. Looking over the brunette beauty, in her deep whisky brown eyes, her cute nose, her inviting lips and her adorable dimples whenever she smiled she knew she had found anything she could ever want.

Once again, without needed it to be said, their lips drew together gently. Tasting each other again. Faith tasted like coffee and strawberries and something that was uniquely her. Something that tasted like heaven. This kiss was different from the last one, this time there was no hesitation, just lips and touches and moans. Them alone, as if they were kissing the worlds away. Blissful ignorance, they had everything they needed right here and now.

Buffy brought her hands up and cupped her face, feeling the soft texture of her skin. Stroking away the tears that they were both spilling. Needing to try to make it all better, needing to take care of Faith. Her tongue not battling with Faith's but eagerly working with it to explore Faith's lovely hot mouth. Buffy stroked her fingers down the sides of Faith's neck and received a moan in response. She smiled into the kisses for having found Faith's sensitive spot. Faith brought them closer to a wall and gently pressed her against it, bringing them impossibly close. This time venturing each others bodies underneath their shirts, but not removing anything. As if they had both silently agreed it was too early to take the next step. Just needing to feel the warmth of each other, the thumping heartbeats. Just needing solace.

**FAITH:**

Buffy was sucking and nibbling gently on her neck which seemed to be her new favourite place. No one had really paid attention to it before, it had always about what had been about them not about what she liked. But she also new tonight it would go no further than this, she didn't need them to to know that Buffy felt the same way about her as she did about Buffy.

She held Buffy's head to her for a second longer and then guided her head back up and placed the most gentlest kiss on her swollen lips. Pulling away she rested her forehead on the blondes, both of them still enjoying the warmth of being so close.

Not noticing who was watching.

**ANGEL:**

Faith had been hurt badly by Repartidor, he felt like he had let her down again. He should have been there, he should have stopped Repartidor from ever getting near her. It made him so angry. Angry at himself, at the world, at everything! He growled as he through everything on his desk to the floor. He then gripped the side of his desk, his knuckles turning white as he sighed trying to get rid of all of his anger and frustration.

Ever since she had returned he had realised something, he, long ago, perhaps in Sunnydale, had fallen in love with a slayer who relied on no one and yet seemed to be screaming out to him to help her. And he'd do anything to do just that. Even if that meant his own life. Repartidor and anyone who had hurt her in the last five years was going to pay at his hands no matter how long it took. Even the powers that be.

**KENNEDY:**

Sitting here now just watching Willow research so intently made her feel a little jealous. They were all so concentrated on helping Faith, they really cared about her. And there within lied the reason why she was jealous. They cared about, for her. Not 'cause she was Willow's girlfriend but because of who she was. A lot of time she knows that Buffy, Giles and even Xander who was at the moment off in Africa doing something or other, just put up with her for Red's sake. That's why she was jealous, and why she couldn't always get along with Faith. She felt threatened.

Now though, there was a serious threat looming and she couldn't help but respect the brunette slayers, she had all that pressure put on her and yet she was still standing. Whilst watching all the others rush round and get ready for the attack and research she realised she was just like them, focused on helping Faith. Because she was one of them, and no one hurt one of the team without paying.

**GILES:**

Words, Sentences, Punctuation and sodding bloody grammar. The last twenty four hours he had spent with his head in books, not taking a break for sleep. He needed to figure this out. There had to be a way to keep Faith safe, without needing her blood or for her to die. There must be a way around it. If only he could find it.

**IN AN UNKNOWN PLACE:**

**UNKNOWN POV:**

He was cold here, things were wrong. Was he dead? That's what he remembered last, that must mean that he was dead. Last thing he remembered was a mayor, a girl and something terrible happening. He knew he had to help her. She had been haunted since that day, he had watched her. She had made a mistake…she didn't deserve what she got. He knew he was part of what was haunting her. He had to make things right.

He had to find his peace.

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**TBC…**

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**Note; thanks to all of you that have reviewed, I love it when I get feedback from my stories, so thanks I really appreciate it.**


	13. 12

Disclaimer for whole story: I do not own anything to do with BtVS, not the characters nothing, zilch

**Hey sorry for the long long longggggg wait, hope this chapter is a bit longer for you. Hopefully should be update soon as well, so here it is…please review!!**

**READ THIS: I had to post this one again, sorry because I missed a bit out, so here it is…again.**

**the rating has changed to M, also pairing is B/F**

**Chapter 12: Waiting**

**By Audiodream**

ANGEL

Even though he was a vampire, and even though he couldn't blush he was one-hundred percent sure that if he could, he would be blushing from the roots of his hair at this moment. The woman that he loved and would always love, and the woman he saw as his best friend and sister were taking part in a very enthused embrace on the roof of the academy. He stood by the entrance to the roof, hidden in shadows, not that he thought it would have mattered if he was in plain site, he doubted either slayer would have noticed anyway.

He had come up here to hopefully catch the last few rays of the sunset, if he was careful they wouldn't burn and it would nearly be as good as being out during it. Instead of having to watch it through magical glass. This was not the kind of show he was expecting. He didn't know how to feel about this revelation. To feel betrayed? Heartbroken? Disbelief? There was definitely disbelief in his mind at the moment. These two, he had never expected to come together. That thought made him want to blush even more, not that he had intended it to sound that way. But these two women, who as far as he knew and as far as past experiences showed were straight, never would he have believed they'd end up together. Unfortunately for him just as he was about to leave Buffy opened her eyes and looked right at him. She immediately did what he expected her to do and blushed redder than Willow's hair and looked horrified.

"Oh my God! Angel!" She said and immediately Faith jumped back from her place nestled between Buffy's arms and daresay he her legs. He nearly laughed out loud at the look of mortification on both their faces at getting caught and he saw Faith quickly wipe her mouth with the back of her hand and motion for Buffy to do the same, which she did. They were both blushing and looking between him and the other slayer on the roof not knowing what to say, how to act. It was very amusing to the old vampire. With his vampiric eyesight he could see the beginnings of an unintended, he was sure, hickey on Faith's neck. This did make him laugh, as he was sure neither of them intended for it to be there. His laughter seemed to be infectious as soon enough the two slayers began to join in, all three seeing the funny side to this humiliating meet. "What are you doing up here?" Buffy asked after the giggles had subsided from all parties.

"I wanted to catch the end of the sunset." He told them, and couldn't help but laugh as Faith started to blush again. It was very odd to see her blush when normally she was so confident around people. But he knew her, better than she would like him too, and he knew even though her persona showed people she was self confident and self aware there was a lot going on underneath that no one else knew about. Maybe that was what Buffy was beginning to see. He hoped so, Faith needed someone like that. "I ended up seeing more than I wanted" He said with a smile so they knew it was a joke. Really he knew there was no other way for him to react. What could he do? He could sulk and mope and feel betrayed when really neither of the women in front of him owed him anything and then lose two of his best friends or he could laugh and see the good coming from this. And he knew that Faith was better for Buffy than he was, she could show her the world and in return Buffy could show her it too. They needed each other, he could see that. And he bet so could anyone else.

"I won't tell no one not until you're ready. And just so you know…congratulations. I'll let you get back to your He said with a smirk and started down the stairs again. Just as he was nearly out of earshot he shouted back. "And Faith,..nice hickey!" He said with a laugh and just as he turned the corner he heard.

"B!"

GILES

"Giles? May I have a word please?" Willow said as she closed the door to his office. He noticed she had been watching him, Angel, Buffy and Faith recently. He knew it was only a matter of time before she asked him. But he needed for her to not know what was going on at the time, if only to make Faith feel less uncomfortable. It was important she didn't feel too pressured, too overdone. After everything she had already been through he didn't want her to go through anymore. He knew it was silly as she was sure to do so in the upcoming battle, but he could try. That's all any of them could do.

"Yes of course Willow. Do have a seat!" He said motioning the seat in front of his desk as he stood whilst she sat. Once she was seated he sat back down. "I rather think I know what it is you wish to discuss, I may as well say this now we didn't not tell you because we don't trust you or wish to exclude you in anyway, just that I felt, and Angel that Faith would feel more comfortable with less people knowing. I fear her knowing that you knew as well would have made her feel uncomfortable in our presence." He told her before she could ask him. "What we have discovered is that for the past five years Faith has been in a hell dimension, where she went within her own choice to defeat a group of demons who were killing innocents and doing the most harm. It was only meant for a year, and it seems the powers that be lied to her, for her it was twenty five years, not five. She took it pretty hard and thought, although I suspect still does, that it's her fault there is an apocalypse now." He told her and then skimmed over the other facts. He knew she still had questions but he simply didn't have the answers to those questions. No one did and that's what worried him the most.

DAWN

She didn't know what was going on around the academy but it was driving her nuts. Buffy and Faith were acting suspicious. Buffy, Faith, Giles, Angel and now Willow were also acting all secretive. She knew they probably had a lot on their plates but it didn't help when she was trying to figure out this prophecy when she knew they were all holding back on her.

"Hey daybreak. How's it hangin?" Faith said as she sat next to her in the library. She plopped her feet up onto the table and Dawn had to smile knowing that if Giles was here the big bag 'don't care' Faith's feet would have been securely on the ground and under the table. After years of trying to get her to stop putting her feet up on table Giles had somehow managed to convince her to , at least in his presence, put her feet on the floor. Dawn didn't know how but it had worked. Of course as soon as he was out of the room up came Faith's feet but it still was progress.

"It's going fine…hey is that a hickey?" Dawn asked squinting looking at the brunette slayers neck. It was a slightly pink circle on the slayers neck that was mostly covered by the scarf she was wearing, which in itself drew more attention to it. As soon as she had asked if it was a hickey the brunette had blushed confirming her suspicions. "It is! Come on tell me, who gave you a hickey?" The brunette slayer kept her mouth shut and shook her head smirking at Dawn. "O come on Faith!" She whined and reached across as if to tickle her, as soon as Dawn touched the slayer a painful blinding white light flashed across her mind causing her to gasp out in pain and clutch onto Faith's hand. Suddenly many images and memories played out in her head.

_A seven year old FAITH crying in a dirty living room whilst a brunette women continued to drink from a nearly empty whisky bottle._

_X_

_A slightly older Faith hiding under her bed as the same brunette woman came charging into her room, ripping the place apart shouting obscenities at the young girl in her drunken rage. _

_X_

_A 14 year old Faith running away from home whilst a dirty looking man moved in with her mother._

_X_

_A 15 year old Faith getting called and finding her watcher. _

Dawn gasped out and grasped harder onto Faith's hand whilst more and more images continued to assault her, she vaguely heard Faith shouting for help and calling her name asking if she was alright and what the hell was going on. Amongst all the memories Dawn thought that that was a very good question. Just when she thought the images were going to stop even more took over her mind.

_Faith stood in an unfamiliar world searching around for somewhere to stay, looking for demons to fight. _

_X_

_Faith amongst a whole throng of demons, of all different sizes at least twice her size and completely outnumbered whilst she keeps fighting trying to beat them all. _

_X_

_Faith sat in a salt circle near a cave entrance saying a spell with a smile on her face waiting for the portal to open back home._

_X_

_Faith saying the spell nearly 25 more times, each time looking more and more defeated until it finally works and sends her back home._

_X_

_Faith being held by Crutio, being beaten, stabbed, tortured and raped again and again until she escapes, sometimes for a day, sometimes for a week, and if she's lucky for a year or so. _

_X_

_Faith arriving back at the academy, beaten and near death. _

"Oh my god Faith. I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry." Dawn says with tears running down her face, as she grabs the startled brunette slayer and hugs her not intending to let go for a long while. Even as she realises they have gathered quite the posse, with Giles, Buffy, Angel, Willow and Kennedy all stood around them.

KENNEDY

It had been a week since the incidence in library, she wasn't really sure what had happened. Dawn was sketchy on what she had seen and as soon as she could string together a sentence she asked if she could talk to Faith and Angel. All three of them then went into Angel's office and didn't come out for hours. Whatever it was it couldn't have been good, not from Dawn's reaction. She was inconsolable and wouldn't let go of Faith for no one. It couldn't have been good. No way could that have been good.

She was also starting to wonder about Buffy and Faith, she remembered back in Sunnydale when they were fighting the first she had thought that there was chemistry between the two. Her 'gaydar' as she liked to call it was pinging off the charts whenever they where around each other, but then after the battle they both started ignoring each other. Nothing too major just that they never spent any time together, and if they did it was because it was needed to do with slaying or whatever. So Kennedy had thought she had gotten it wrong.

Now she wasn't so sure again. Ever since Faith had come back they had been together all the time, and Kennedy knew Buffy had missed the brunette slayer. She hadn't meant to but she had overheard a conversation once Buffy had with Willow when she was in the bathroom of their room. Willow and Buffy didn't know she was there, and she was without clothes so going into the main room to greet them was a no go. Anyway, Buffy had mentioned that she missed the brunette and that was that.

Whilst Angel, Faith and Dawn were locked away in Angel's office the rest of us stayed out here in the library. Buffy spent the whole time staring at the door, as if willing it to open and pacing around in circles. She probably felt dizzy when the door finally opened and she rushed over to Faith asking if she was ok. And of course Dawn, but it was the slight touch of the palm of her hand on Faith's hip that really made her suspect once again.

GILES

"O well that's…quite interesting. Yes…I must say this is unprecedented, never have I heard of this before. Not of anyone other than a seer…o-or a witch." He said whilst searching through his books for an explanation. He knew there had to be one, and he was hoping it was in one of his books here in the library.

"Yes it is. I was wondering Giles, whether it could have something to do with Dawn, how she used to be the key? Perhaps the keys energy enables her to see Faith's past?" Angel questioned looking up from one of the many books he had also read that evening. Giles looked at Angel and nodded thoughtfully. This was going to be a long evening once again.

ANGEL

He had never really understood why Buffy hadn't had a serious boyfriend since Sunnydale. There had been some men but none she trusted with her secret, and none she brought back to the academy. He had been worried for a while that she had forgotten how to love, and this was why when he figured out what was happening between her and Faith he didn't over react. He had to be honest though he did feel a little bit disappointed and heartbroken, but other than a little disbelief he felt relieved. Knowing that Buffy knew how to love, and that she was still open to it relieved him a lot.

Faith and Buffy had always had some chemistry, right from the moment they met or so he was told. And he knew Buffy, she was very loyal and loving to the people she cared about, just what he knew Faith needed. In all her life Faith had never really had anyone that cared or loved her unconditionally, not until that night in LA when she had begged him to kill her. He had never seen a human being so distraught as to her that night. She had been completely destroyed in the knowledge that she had become what she had, but he knew she could redeem herself and he knew that she would be better. She was a great slayer and even though he knew she couldn't see it she was a great person.

He hoped that they both survived the up coming battle, he knew either slayer would be destroyed if one of them died. He doubted they would get over that, because he knew even if they didn't yet that they loved each other, and where probably soul mates. Even though he had one day hoped to be a baked cookie with Buffy, he knew without a doubt that if they could make it past this battle, and admit their feelings for one another then they would be forever.

FAITH

She hated this. She hated not knowing. She hated the feeling of dread as she waited for the fight. Not knowing whether she would survive, or what was needed of her to stop this apocalypse. Is this how Buffy felt each time there was an apocalypse? She hoped not because she didn't know if she could deal with just the one falling on her shoulders let alone more than seven or however many the blond slayer had stopped.

Faith knew that it wasn't just her worrying, she knew that in that library down the corridor Giles, Red and Angel had spent nearly every waking minute of the last week trying to find something new, something that would help just to come up with nothing. There was nothing written down about this apocalypse apart from the scrolls and only one of two parts had been found and she doubted they would ever find the second. It had been hidden so long ago no one knew where it was. No one. Not the seers, not the powers that be, no one. They were running out of options and the battle was fast approaching. Luckily though she had yet to see Repartidor. He hadn't made another appearance since the last time when she had been stabbed and he kicked into a building. She knew it was stupid to hope that it would stay that way.

"Deep thoughts?" Buffy questioned as she stood next to her in the kitchen. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Buffy approach her. Buffy, seemingly sensing her thoughtful mood, placed a calming hand on the small of her back and rubbed small circles.

"That feels so good." Faith whispered leaning back into the touch. When Buffy was around things just made more sense. "God I love you." She whispered. Suddenly she tensed up. _'SHIT! You moron!'_ She really hadn't meant to tell her. Not that she didn't love Buffy but she felt it was just too soon, what if she didn't feel the same. She could have just ruined everything. Everything they had built, their friendship, her place in the team, the growing relationship between her and Buffy. Everything. It was all hanging on what Buffy would do and say next. God she was nervous. "I…I..mmean-" her nervous stutter was stopped by Buffy who placed her fingers on her lips and smiled. The blond stepped closer and touched their foreheads together, Faith was so nervous but couldn't stop herself from staring into the hazel green eyes of the woman she loved.

"I love you too Faith." The blond kissed her gently on the nose and then returned her forehead to where it had been resting. "I figured it out a while ago, and really realised when you were unconscious after facing Repartidor, I love you and I'm terrified I'm going to lose you but I can't not tell you how I feel because then I would regret it for the rest of my life…I love you and I hope you can love me too." Buffy said with a small voice, but her tone was confident, she smiled and tears filled her beautiful hazel eyes. Faith couldn't help but return her wonderful smile, and her heart swelled at the meaning of it.

"I love you too. God do I love you. You mean everything to me B and I'm so scared I'm going to lose you too, or that I'm going to hurt you. Because I don't wait to hurt you B, I never wanted tha' to begin with and I never want it again." She said and closed her eyes against the tears, even after everything she had been through she still found it hard to show emotion, when she was a kid she had been told time and time again that it was weak and so she never had shown true emotion. But with Buffy, there was something about her that made her not able to hide what she felt. She loved her and she was terrified what that meant, for both of them.

"I'm scared too Faith." The blond whispered and captured her lips in a searing kiss. Faith nearly collapsed as she felt the blonds tongue enter her warm mouth. She loved kissing Buffy, it felt like home.

WILLOW

Ever since last week when they had found out the prophecy was about Faith things had been weird. Kennedy was going between respecting the brunette slayer and being jealous of her. Angel, Buffy and Giles were all acting weird like they had a huge secret between them, and she had no doubts that Faith was in on it too. The whole week had just been frustrating. She hadn't found any information that could help and neither had anyone else. Every apocalypse was scary to start with but to go into one blind was a whole other thing. They literally had nothing, apart from Faith. And no one was sure as to why it was Faith. Unless your names were Giles, Angel, Buffy or well Faith.

But that would all be there tomorrow right now she snuggled into Kennedy and joined her girlfriend in sweet dreams. It was good to be home.

ANGEL

He had never really felt like he had belonged since being turned, not even when it was the 'fanged four' going around Europe and causing havoc. Then he was Angelus and all he wanted was mayhem, he didn't care about family and comfort. Then after years of being resouled and eating rats blood he found that in a town called Sunnydale, with a group of high school students, an English librarian and a slayer. Ever since then he hadn't been alone, and now as he sat there in the library searching and searching through books and books he didn't care that it was probably a waste of time, or that it was really REALLY boring because he knew why he was doing it. He was doing it because they would do it for him. He was doing it for his family. Finally.

NO ONES POV

The house was calm, everyone in the academy was asleep or busy. No one was causing any trouble, the house was the epitome of peaceful. The two original chosen had long since retired to Buffy's room, to feel each other's company whilst they slept. The vampire was still sat within the quiet library reading everything and anything. Willow and Kennedy were peacefully asleep. Everyone was doing their own thing. So no one was ready for Repartidor.

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**TBC…**

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	14. 13

Disclaimer for whole story: I do not own anything to do with BtVS, not the characters nothing, zilch

**Chapter 13: the end is near**

**By Audiodream**

They had all been resting. No one was ready. That could be their downfall.

FAITH

She doesn't know what it is that wakes her. This is not the first time since she arrived here at the academy. It could be her many anxieties about the task she has to do in the near future. It could be her consciences' way of punishing her for the wrongs she has committed. It could be a nightmare. It could be many things. But she knows it is not. She had dealt with them before, and that is why she sits there. Covered lightly by the sheet Buffy had thrown over them, with the blond slayer sleeping peacefully behind her on the bed. She sits there and she can't figure it out.

There's a strange white light flooding in around the edges of the curtains. It shouldn't be there, the room should be dark with the barest hint of light creeping in from the moonlight that should be shining through the curtains. Not this much brighter light. It reminds her of the flood lights at the football stadiums, and the large industrial lights they use.

Faith has no idea why she woke up, only that she is awake. She knows that everyone else in the house is also asleep. No one else is in the same predicament. Everyone else had managed to find their peaceful slumber and remain in it. She sits there and listens to it. To silence. The perfect white stillness and knows that she should be asleep; there is nothing here to wake her up.

Slowly it comes to her why it is so peculiar for that brilliant white light to be present. For it to have woken her up, and what it now means.

Instantly she is terrified, flinging the bed sheet off of her and clamping her hand over Buffy's mouth as she comes too, about to alert everyone that has keen hearing to their state of awake. Everyone is asleep. So who alerted the censors outside. Who is outside right now, basking in the white light as they slowly and silently creep up to the house. It was the porch lights that had been streaming into Buffy's bedroom at the front of the house. Someone was outside and as they were programmed too once the censors sensed them they turned on. Before going to sleep Faith had checked on everyone, they were all asleep. Everyone accounted for, so whoever was outside was not a friend.

Faith quickly removed her hand from over Buffy's mouth and motioned for her to be silent and stay put. The summer night had become freezing, her muscles shivering as she silently stalks to the window. Peering out at the familiar world outside, she doesn't find anything out of the ordinary. She realises that it could be just an animal that set of the lights, but something in her, something that she's learnt not to ignore, is screaming at her that it's something else. This is it. This is the fight they've been waiting for. Her instincts demand her to listen.

The garden looks just as it always does. The bright unforgiving lights of the porch are baring down on the green cut lawn, on the several cars littered around the drive, on all the different flowers that had been planted to make the place look more beautiful, more homely. Nothing was out of place, and nothing was as it should be. She sneaks back over to the bed and cups her hands around the confused blonds ear.

"It's happening, I can feel it. Repartidor is getting ready to attack, they are going to try to open the portal. Tonight." She whispers quietly, almost silently into her ear. "We're going to get dressed and then we're going to go down the hall, quickly and quietly. When we get to Red's room, I need you to go inside and wake her and set the silent alarm. We need to work quick." Looking Buffy in the eyes she sees her fear but also her understanding and she quickly kisses the blond wishing they had more time. But this was a war and they didn't. Quietly they both got dressed, they even pretended that Faith had woken up from a nightmare and the blonde was comforting her. Just in case Repartidor could hear them, or sense they were awake. They couldn't have him attack with everyone else still asleep. If that happened they lost.

Keeping a sharp eye on everything in the hall they both made their way down it, making sure nothing was hiding in a shadowed corner. Once they made it to the end, Buffy silently opened Willow's door and entered. Faith continued down the hall to the weapons room. She needed to collect a few things before meeting everyone in the main lobby. She knew she would be doing most of the fighting tonight, it was written in the prophecy. She knew from experience that a prophecy was a prophecy and no matter how you tried to change it is would always come to pass. Buffy was living proof of that. She had died of the masters hand, they had just failed to mention that she was resuscitated.

Now with a small collection of knives and swords she made her way more confidently down to the lobby. Still on alert but much more happier in the knowledge that Willow would have put up a barrier, no demon or demon god would be coming near the house. Unless of course they were already in the house, but her instincts told her she had woken just as they were headed towards the house not as they were already in the process of attacking. It was good, it bought them more time.

Reaching the lobby she saw that everyone was gathered, or nearly everyone some of the slayers were bouncing around collecting weapons waiting for orders. The scooby gang were off to one side deciding said orders. This was a surprise attack, they had just yesterday discussed the idea of having a procedure put in place in case this happened. They hadn't planned it yet. She knew they had to go quick though, the more they sat on it no doubt the more demons there would be to fight. She could feel Repartidor repeatedly opening the portal, only a little nothing really to worry about. Although she knew it was probably to set things in motion and to also allow some of crutio's army through.

"Red, what we got?" She asked getting straight to business. These demons were going down that wasn't up for negotiation.

BUFFY

When she had awoken at first and seen Faith sat there, she had thought she had had another nightmare. She knew she had those from time to time. But the way her shoulders were so set, and the way she had quickly silenced her and crept to the windows. She had known something was up.

Now watching her as she takes in Giles and Willow's plan she can tell she's all business. Every muscle in her body is ready for this fight, her mind is on nothing else. She knows she should probably be the same, but she knows the plan and she wants, no needs, these few minutes to just watch the brunette slayer. She needs it because it might be the last time. Either of them could die in the up and coming battle, and she hates the idea. They were only just getting together. It seems unfair. But she had learnt that that was the way of life.

They were going to win, they had to.

FAITH

The plan was simple as far as plans went, well her part anyway. Repartidor. That was her plan, to kill Repartidor. And she planned to succeed. There were no ways around it she had to win, there was no way that she could lose. If she did then there would be no world. She knew it was going to be a hard fight, Repartidor was a formidable foe. Most demons were from cruciatus, they had strength, speed and they were a lot more intelligent than your average demon from around here. They planned, a lot.

Looking around now at the faces of her fellow fighters she could read the fear, she could sense it a mile off. She knew Repartidor could too. But who would be stupid enough not to be afraid. Everything screamed at them to be scared, and they were. She was scared. She admitted it, she was scared that most of these hopeful young spirits wouldn't make it. She was scared that there would be tomorrow. She was scared that there would be no more time for her. No more time to make up for past mistakes, to tell the one she loved that she was completely hopelessly besotted by her. That there would be no time for her to wake up in the morning next to her, kissing her in the middle of a park on a bright summers day. She was scared there would be no future. No future for her, for Buffy. For anyone. She was completely terrified.

And yet she knew. She knew even in fear that she couldn't let it consume her. She had to have a sharp eye, a clear mind and she had to keep focused. That's why even though she really wanted to talk to Buffy quickly before the battle she couldn't. Because she knew without a doubt that she wouldn't want to go out there, she wouldn't be able to. She'd want to gather her up in her arms and run. Run away from the fear, run away from the battle, the responsibility. She'd run and run fast. Taking with her the only thing that really mattered to her. Her heart.

That was why with the weight of the world on her shoulders she said. "Let's do it."

The night looked falsely calm. The wind had stilled, the birds had quietened, and it reminded her so terribly of the calm before the storm. As she had her group of five slayers made it to the south of the garden she realised just how unprepared they were, for all their planning and strategizing they didn't certainly know where the enemy was. Or how they planned to attack. They had no clue, too little time and too few solid leads on their enemy. So as they advanced to their allocated spot, only a few metres away from another group, all Faith could hear was their laboured breathing. Their hearts working overtime with adrenalin trying to compensate for their fear. They were so young. So much younger than her, especially thanks to her extra twenty five years.

Faith kept herself alert, making sure every shadow and corner in her peripheral vision was checked for her enemy. So far she hadn't spotted any but she knew they were there. She could sense them, smell them. They were there and they were waiting for the most opportune time. Now that attacking whilst they were asleep was out of the question they were laying low and waiting but they were still there. All of them. She could feel them like an unwelcomed bug crawling over her skin. It was an unpleasant feeling to say the least.

She glanced at the group of five slayers on the other end of the garden closest to the entrance to the academy. Four well trained slayers not that experienced but still the best of their class. And their trainer stood proudly next to them. Buffy Summers. The name itself almost sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine. Since coming back from cruciatus she had fell for the blond haired girl, and fell hard. And now she couldn't help but think that perhaps they wouldn't get their time. What if they both died tonight? Or worse if one of them passed on? She didn't think she could live if the fair haired girl died but she survived. Not when this was so obviously her fight, without her there would be no battle. She couldn't live with that knowledge if she died.

And it was with this thought that she sighted the flying spear right for the topic of her thoughts.

They had waited too long and now it was all falling apart.

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**TBC…**

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	15. 14

**AN: Sorry it's been so long since the last update and I hope this chapter is good! Enjoy...hopefully. let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit out of this.**

**Chapter 14 – the battle**

It all happened so quickly, if asked no one could really give a true and full account of what had happened. They only knew the result. Perhaps one person could fully know what had occurred, but even then it would be a while till anyone would be hearing that story. Faith would not be speaking for sometime according to the councils doctors.

BUFFY

The battlefield was chaotic, there were battles going on everywhere and everyone seemed to be in and intense fight to the death. So much was depending on them winning this fight. After the first she had thought that with so many new slayers in the world there would be no more apocalypses and with it no more mass deaths. That however seemed to be a fools hope, because as soon as the numbers and therefore the power behind the slayers increased so did it for their enemy. It was a cruel joke played on them by the powers that be. For supposedly neutral and all powerful they seemed intent on destroying her life as well as those she loved. She really didn't want to die tonight, not again.

"Hold the lines!" She heard as a battle cry from the other side of the once beautifully designed garden, now tarnished and destroyed. She glanced over and saw Willow in all her witchy glory, her hair once as red as the centre of a blazing fire now glowed enormously white. The purest kind to represent her pure heart. She was using powerful force fields to protect the injured slayers, there were already many. At least fifteen all suffering with the pains of war. It made her angry, it made her sad, it made her fight harder and as she lashed out with her swiping right fist she felt the bones of her foe crunch under the pressure. With a quick duck and a swipe of her enemies legs she had them pinned on the floor, grabbing the nearest weapon a discarded sword of an already slayed opponent she decapitated the demon with one clean swipe. The feeling of belonging and intense adrenaline pumped through her veins spurring her on. She looked around at the younger slayers, all of who were fighting with everything they had. This was what a slayer was. This is their reason to be. They were all connected, and she was proud that the girls she had met as confused teenagers with no skill and lots of strength were now this outfit of trained slayers all working as one to beat their enemy and save the world. It was this moment of thought that she realised as she saw a spear sailing through the air right towards her that would cost her her life, that one moment of hesitation that she had forever warned her trainees about that would steal away her breath. She had no time to move, she had noticed too late. She clenched her eyes shut, her jaw grit together awaiting her fate.

WILLOW

If asked what had happened she could not tell you one moment everything was looking up even though they had numerous injuries and already two casualties and the next...all hope was gone.

DAWN

She hadn't been allowed to fight, not being a slayer and all or a witch so she was located in the house, under a protection shield that protected her, Giles, the watchers and some of the younger slayers. Too young to fight, too young to die. It was because of this that she had no idea at all what had happened and that everything had took a turn for the worse.

BUFFY

The pain of the spear never came. Just as she was about to pry open her shut lids a force knocked into her and she felt a searing pain in her head as it hit the ground and the next thing she knew, no matter how hard she tried to fight it, was a complete blackness.

When she came to the first thing she noticed was the lack of fighting around her. All seemed calm and she wondered how long she had been out. The next was the sticky substance coating the side of her face was red, blood, her blood. After that came the foreboding feeling that everyone was dead and that was why it was so quiet. That quickly came crashing down as she heard the terrible sounds of someone screaming in pain, lots of pain and what made it worse was that pain was coming from the girl she loved.

She stood up and looked across the garden to where it seemed the only demon was left standing, Repartidor. He looked a bit worse for wear but mostly healthy and ready to fight. He and Faith were battling it out, and the source of her screams was from the repeated forceful beatings she was taking to her ribs and abdomen. Faith looked on deaths door, her face was bloody her nose probably broken and there were tears and rips in all her clothes all of which seemed to be oozing her life source. The one that made her worry most was the spear head sticking out of her stomach just under her ribs, it was bleeding continuously and she realised with gut wrenching sadness that it had been meant for her. That the force that had knocked her out but saved her life had been Faith's body connecting with hers as she jumped into the line of the spear. She had saved her life.

Faith suddenly twisted out of his hold on her and delivered a powerful blow of her own right to his face, black blood gushed everywhere. Next a well aimed high kick sent the demon flying through the air towards Willow's force field, he bounced off with a disgusting squelching sound and dropped to the floor unmoving. Buffy started towards him with her sword, getting ready to finish the job.

"No, Buffy don't!" Faith warned, it made her pause in her travels, Faith seemed utterly serious. Faith limped over to her and took the sword, brushing her hand over hers and smiling at her. She could tell that action alone was very painful for the brunette and by the way only one side of her mouth lifted she had a broken cheek bone as well. Buffy watched as she hobbled over to the demons body and staked him through the back of the head with the sword. "Showed him." Then Faith pitched forwards into total darkness. She was just quick enough to catch her and stop her devastating drop to the ground. It was done. It was over.

"Buffy, is she ok?" One of the younger slayers asked, it was Marlene one of the first slayers to be recruited to the San Francisco Potentials Academy. She was a top student and looked rather bloody but otherwise unharmed. The blood was probably from her comrades and not herself. She was a skilled fighter. "That fight...it was..." She seemed unable to continue, and Buffy was grateful she hadn't had to witness the beating her lover took.

"That's ok Marlene, she's unconscious but still breathing and a faint pulse. Help me get her inside!" The panic of the situation seemed to catch up with her from that simple question. Faith was in a bad way, she was still bleeding from multiple stab wounds and the spear in her back had to be taken out otherwise she could get an infection making her recovery even more unlikely. She had to be ok, they had only just discovered what was between them and she wasn't ready to lose that. Between her and Marlene they got Faith into the infirmary and immediately they were shooed out of there so they could work on her. There would apparently have to be multiple surgeries and Faith would be put into an induced coma to help her healing. They just hoped she would come back from it.

ANGEL

His whole body hurt, he had taken a beating from Repartidor whilst Faith was dealing with some of the other demons. There was no way he could have ever beaten him, but Faith had and he was once again awed by her. She possessed great strength, she had always been a great fighter her passion fuelling her on but ever since she came back from that hell dimension he could see it had multiplied. Her strength had grown and with experience and time her accuracy, speed and precision had become perfect. She was the best fighter he had ever seen, and grudgingly he had to admit she gained an insight into fighting that Buffy had yet to learn. It only came with age, and Faith whilst she looked to be 21 had actually lived for 46, and 25 of those were used battling demons and gods of a hell dimension. In his eyes she had got what she has sought for; she was a hero she had redemption.

BUFFY

She ached all over, the battle had tired her. But what ached the most above all else was waiting to hear if her lover was dead. She had been so brave, battled that god with no worry of her own life only that of others. She was truly a hero. They had removed the spear and stopped her bleeding out, stitched her up and put her in a coma that apparently she was on her way of falling into on her own anyway. This would apparently help her heal quickly with less pain and more chance of a survival. That was their wording 'more chance of survival', 'more chance' meaning that there was a chance she would die. She couldn't believe how quickly it had all changed. She was standing there, she had defeated him and then as if the power she was using to hold herself up, whatever she was fighting for didn't need saving anymore and she was out. It was shear willpower that had kept her up on her feet for so long.

She ached all over, the battle had tired her but she would not rest, would not heal until she knew Faith was going to win this. She loved her and she would be there for her. After all she was the only reason she was alive today.

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